fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2170 ]

[ SECRET POST #2170 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2170 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02.

[Nikita (CW)]

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03.

[The Pirates! Band of Misfits]

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04.

[Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell]

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05.

[Star Wars Expanded Universe]

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06.

[Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel the Series]

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07.

[Avengers/MCU, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark]

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08.

[Go On]

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09.

[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]

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10.

[Sailor Moon]

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11.

[Persona 4]

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12.

[Kili/Tauriel, The Hobbit]

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13.

[How to Destroy Angels/Mariqueen Maandig]

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14.

[Glee]

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15.

[Les Revenants]

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16.

[The Walking Dead]

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17.

[The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest]

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18.

[Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 060 secrets from Secret Submission Post #310.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So I'm going there alone in January, which is kind of starting to scare me right now.
What am I even going to do for two weeks in a city I've never been to, with nobody to talk to?
How do people stay warm there? How does public transport work?

Maybe this was a really bad idea. I sort of have plans either end of those two weeks in different countries, so I thought "well I'll be alone, so why don't I just hang out somewhere english-speaking and be touristy?".

I thought at the time my travel agent or my family would give me some decent ideas, but everyone just keeps telling me to have fun. No. No I won't.

Take a holiday, they said.
It will be relaxing, they said. O_O

Get a travel book! I'm a fan of Rick Steves (http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-London-2012/dp/1612380042), he tends to give you fun, not-too-touristy but just enough (plus suggestions for day trips if you want to go somewhere nearby). Plus I think he usually gives tips for public transportation, how much to tip, where to eat, etc.

I also like the Moleskin City Notebooks (London version: http://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-City-Notebook-London/dp/888370617X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355279507&sr=1-1&keywords=moleskin+london), because it comes with a subway (sorry, "tube") map, street maps for different areas, and little bits of info of where to go. It's relatively small and doesn't make you look too much like a tourist if you whip it out at a cafe or something (always a concern for me).

Off the top of my head, though: get an oyster card (permanent subway pass, you can buy one at the airport), stop by the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Library, the Globe...maybe 221 Baker Street if you're into that? There's a Freud Museum (http://www.freud.org.uk/) if that kind of thing's your speed...take one of those touristy bus tours on your first day, it'll give you an overview of what's available and what you're interested in. Maybe a walking tour, ask your hotel concierge.

Best advice I can give is to take a tour. Seriously, find a tour group for a day. A hop on hop off bus tour is usually my preferred method of traveling.

When I went to LA, we did a bus tour and then spent two more days going back to all of the places we missed. I did a big group tour of Europe in April and what was really nice was that we'd have a guided tour every morning and then we would have the afternoon to go back to what we missed.

I've been told the Imperial War Museum is pretty impressive. I recommend checking out guidebooks, Rick Steve's and Lonely Planet are usually a good starting point. I was in London in April, but I only spent two days there. Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

How do people stay warm?

...coats, scarfs, gloves. All buildings have radiators/central heating. Coffee shops are nice too if you want a break.

I feel like I'm not really getting what the question is.

Cars/taxis are hopeless. Take the bus or the tube (I prefer the latter because I get lost easily but there are maps on every wall and inside the train itself, which is useful).

For fun, like you said, go to the touristy bits. Camden market, the museums, the royal bits if you like that kind of thing, the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels etc etc.

Sinse you are on this forum I can assume you are at least slightly geeky, there is a Television and Film museum in London which is pretty cool, small and cheap.

Also I went ice skating under the London Eye last time I was in London, oh and take a walk in Hyde Park! Also lots of shopping opportunities.

Weather/Clothing: It will be slightly cold, so at least have a thick coat, it will get into minus degrees. And scarves and gloves. All of this you can get pretty cheap at any clothing store really if you brought something not warm enough. And if you are travelling somewhere else in Europe (not south of England) the weather will be pretty similar.

Travel: Oyster Cards are the name of the card you use to travel on Busses and the underground (it works on both). You buy it pretty much at any station that have staff. There should also be some touristy deals which you can find at: http://www.visitlondon.com/ along with other ideas for what to do in London.

You might also think of visiting some other Cities in the UK, trains are easy to catch and go pretty much anywhere. Cardiff was fun, and a lot of the Scotish cities have really friendly people.

I'm not sure about your age, but if you are under 30 and don't mind staying with other people, Hostels are cheap places to stay and you get to know other people who are also travelling and some of them are looking for people to have fun with for a day or two.

Did that answer any of your questions? If I was unclear, just ask me and/or PM me, and don't be scared of travelling alone!

1) Write down any questions you have and ask people. You've a good start so far.

2) Do you know where you're going to stay and what you're doing for food yet? If not, you might want to consider youth hostels or home stays instead of hotels. I find that they often have a less formal and more social atmosphere than hotels. Plus, chances to cook my own food. The downside is that they may not be as comfortable or secure as high-grade hotels.

3) Do lots of window shopping, or, in this case, visit tourism websites and flip through travel guides and note down places you want to visit or things you want to see. There should be lots of group tours available; find one that fits your schedule and matches your interests. Group tours can be a good way to get your feel around the city before you're comfortable enough to striking off on your own.

4) Plan a lot of downtime, know what your limits are. Like, don't schedule a walking tour and a six-hour museum visit one right after the other unless you're used to walking around for hours at a time.

5) Always carry extra water with you and always know where the washrooms - or loos as the natives call them - are.

6) Get traveler's insurance. Figure out what you're going to do in case of medical emergency and/or lost IDs. Always keep your important documents like your passport and emergency contacts list in a watertight container/bag on your person, separate from your wallet. Don't show people your passport unless it's absolutely necessary, like at customs or if the police asks for it.

7) After you've prepared as much as you can, relax and enjoy yourself!

Seconding the home stay bit. You'll also get the chance to get to know some of the locals that way and they can give you some advice on where to avoid [because it's a bad area, or whatever] along with some places you might not think to hit up.

Also, it probably wouldn't hurt to think about hitting up the london group on couchsurfing [the accounts are free, last I checked]. I don't know how active they are, but you might be able to get someone to meet up with you for a while to hang out/show you around if you post something there. You *can* also get home stays through them, but it's up to you if that's what you really want to do.

This sounds silly, but be careful about what you drink: even though the water is clean, it'll most likely have microorganisms or additives that your digestive system isn't used to, so you can still get stomach pains by drinking it. If you have a sensitive stomach, you won't have enough time to get used to the water, so it could be a good idea to stick to bottled-water brands that you know.

I have been to England twice and I loved it both times (of course, it was in the summer). The underground works really well to get around town and honestly, it's quite easy to take a train to any place outside of London. In London, they're are a lot of museums, the London Eye, the Tower of London, you can take a boat tour on the Thames, there's Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and you have to go to Harrod's (it's the department store). Outside of London - there's quite a few castles you can see, there's Stonehenge, there's Stratford-upon-Avon (if you like Shakespeare), there's Hay-on-Wye (if you're into books), and Brighton (for the Pier and the Royal Pavillion).

If you're worried about social contact, I highly recommend trying to stay in a hostel. If you find one with high ratings on a site like hostelworld, there's a good chance it'll be a sociable kind of place.

Whenever I travel by myself, I stay in hostels, because it's so easy to meet people, and it's super-relaxed. I usually do stuff by myself during the day and hang out (have dinner, go for drinks, w/e) in the evenings with people I've met, so it's a perfect mix of alone time and socialising.

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[ SECRET POST #2170 ]

London/General travel advice?

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