I was talking to my brother (a major business traveler) earlier this year about the mileage I have racked up on American Airlines. I thought my current miles would buy me a round trip ticket to Europe, but my brother pointed out it would get me a one way ticket. I was pretty disappointed, because I had been hoping those miles would help me start my solo traveling adventure. My brother then told me about the American Airlines fare sales they post on their website. Most of the time, you have to leave within a week or two, and can only be gone a short amount of time. The destination is totally up to fate, and you never know what could show up. This sounded...amazing. I could book a flight to some crazy, dreamy land I'd never been, grab a guide book and a list of hostels and set out, in search of new experiences. I told my wonderful boss about this crazy scheme, and warned her I might take off for a few days with little notice. Being an avid traveler herself, she totally understood. (Best boss ever!)
After searching for a few weeks on AA, they posted a sale fare to Heathrow, London, with a later travel date two months away.
hmmmm.
Not exactly the strangest, most exotic place.
Not really at the drop of a hat, either.
But the idea gained momentum. I'd been there twice, sure. But I was five months old the first time, and the second was just a long layover where we ventured into the city for about five hours.
I'd also have more time to plan. And be able to stay there much longer, perhaps two weeks! (Makes the price of the plane ticket seem more worthwhile.)
It would still be a new experience, even though they speak my language there (sorta). There are plenty of things to see. "So why not?"I thought. I'll do a slow-ease into this solo travel business by giving London a thorough run-through for two weeks. Plus you can't beat the price of the plane ticket there with this sale.
So booked it I did, and then used a combination of TripAdvisor and travel guide books to narrow down the area in which I would stay, and the hostel that would be my home base for two weeks. (I did decide that I should stay in a hotel just the first two nights, to get my bearings.)
Hotel prices being what they are in London (sheer bloody murder), I found a great hostel near Abbey Road, a bit out of the way of the major stuff, but easily accessible by two close Tube stations. The hostel is Palmer's Lodge, Swiss Cottage, located in the old Palmer's mansion (of Palmer's biscuit fame), where I'll stay in a 10-bed female dorm. The cost is a little higher than some hostels, but it's in London, so of course it's expensive. 18£ on weeknights, 21£ on weekends. I'll be posting a review later.
And my hotel is the Kensington Gardens Hotel, a 7 room baby, small, cozy place that is a part of the larger, Best Western type hotel a few hundred yards away (which I call the Papa hotel). Kensington Gardens Hotel is very close to Paddington Station, where the Heathrow Express ends up. Normally you can take the Tube into the main area of London, but since I'll be arriving at 9:30pm, I opted for the Heathrow Express, a direct, 15 minute "luxury" train ride that goes directly to Paddington Station. So it'll be conveniently located for getting to Kensington Garden's Hotel late at night. After 6pm guests must go to the Papa hotel next door to get the room key. Funny, no? But I do get full buffet breakfast included at the Papa, which is nice. (Meaning I can load up on the non-gluten options!) A bonus was that the hotel offers a special Rick Steve's discount when you mention him upon booking. So I got about 20£ off per night! Which is a VERY good deal. When booking a room you have to check if the restroom is attached or if it's separate, usually in the same hall, but sometimes on a different floor. Rooms with bathrooms attached are called en suite, and cost more. Sometimes you can get an en suite shower with a separate toilet. This is the case at the Kensington Garden's Hotel, where I'll be staying my first two nights, for around 50£. I think I'll stop here for the day, since now you know where I'll be showering and going to the bathroom. TMI?
More on my sight-seeing plans to come.
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