Hello, everyone!
I hope to find you well and safe.
During the last week, I have made my very first solo trip 😉 Destination? London (LDN)! Since 2012, I had the dream of visiting this beautiful city. So many films, books, stories that took place around LDN. I couldn’t miss this opportunity. Set and done!
This journey had the duration of 3 days: Tuesday-Friday. I have arrived in the evening of Tuesday, since the flights are cheaper, normally, in late hours (check Skyscanner in private mode). The first surprise was the location of the AirBnb I stayed in: Hatfield Broad Oak (HBO – Essex). It was, basically, in the middle of nowhere. Approximately 5 miles away from Stansted Airport (STN) and Bishop Stortford. I have chosen this AirBnb due to the fact that was “near” of the airport, had good commodities and an attractive value-for-money relation. WRONG CHOICE!
The taxi from STN to there was 32 pounds (approximately EUR 36,55). The Uber is a little less. To get to the airport by foot it took 1 hour (pace: 6km/h). A good alternative was catch a bus in Takeley (TKL). From HBO TO TKL was 35 minutes. As you may figured out, I lost precious time just to go from the AirBnb to the airport, in order to get a train to the centre of London (-+ 50 minutes from STN to London Liverpool Street station). Shortly, it was narrowly 2h just to get to the centre 😦
That being said, and put now the focus in the city of London, I only need one word to describe it: AMAZING! Even I wasn’t able to visit and exploring half of the places I pointed out, it was a great experience. When walking through the city, I have seen beautiful views and landscapes; the people and the vibe was really open-minded and peaceful. The bakeries and local shops were very comfy. I believe the places I enjoyed the most were Kensington (Palace and Gardens) and the London Museum. Although, there are so many things I haven’t visited…I definitely have to visit LDN a second time (at least). LDN took my heart 😉
Pro Tip: For new solo travelers (and travelers in general), please stay in a place nearby the centre. Don’t make the same mistake that I did. Even if it costs more, you will save a lot of time and you are safer.
The G-Creative 