It has been far too long
since I last visited London. This trip was prompted by the need to visit my
Uncle who is quite up in years, and was not a visit to be delayed. While the
personal family bits aren't quite the stuff for a blog post, I thought some out
there might enjoy some of the other bits of the trip. The airfare was the
single most expensive bit of the trip, so I was going to make the most of every
moment I could while in London.
So, where to begin.
Well, this first posting will be about the travel aspect of the trip. I booked
my flight about 3 weeks before the trip on British Airways. Having traveled
abroad before, I knew that I preferred European airlines and also direct
flights. They European carriers tend to have better service in my opinion and I
enjoy their food and beverage services. This flight would be 7 hours to London
and just over 8 hours returning, so I'd rather not spend any additional time
traveling, hence the direct flight. As I would also be traveling with family on
the return, I followed in their planning and booked in premium economy. (More
about that later)
I packed light. Being
premium economy I was entitled to two carry-on bags weighing 51 pounds each and
two checked bags weighing 51 pounds each. That would allow me 204 pounds of
baggage fully packed! Knowing I might want to bring back some things from
London, I packed a light briefcase for my iPad and papers, and a suitcase
weighing on 30 pounds packed. I also packed a small duffel bag inside my
suitcase if I needed more space or wanted to spread out the weight of anything
I bought in London, avoiding a $60 fee for an overweight bag. so there I was
with probably 160 pounds of available packing, just in case...
I'm not one to enjoy
last minute issues at the airport, so I arrived 3 hours before my flight and
had no issues checking in. As I'd downloaded the British Airways App onto my
phone, I was aware of my flight time and the planned slightly early departure
and early arrival in London. I could also browse the in-flight entertainment
and decide how to bide my time on the long flight.
Once we were in the air and on our way, they
offered beverages and I enjoyed a rather nice white wine.
Dinner was then served and I enjoyed another nice white wine.
About an hour prior to
landing, we were provided with a very light breakfast snack.
Our plane arrived at
Heathrow ahead of schedule and we were parked slightly away from a terminal so
that a set of stairs was wheeled to the plane and we then boarded a bus to the
terminal. I packed light so that I had only my carry-on brief case. This made
this portion of my trip easy. Once at Terminal 5, I went through immigration
and when that was complete, my bag was there at baggage claim ready for
customs. Checking my bag provided no time delay and given the stairs from the
plane, I was much better off and lost no time compared with those who did not
check bags.
I'd planned my trip in
advance with some research. I had three options to get into London from
Heathrow. Taxi, which would be the most expensive but most flexible and in
greatest comfort providing door to door service. The taxi will run £46 - £87 one way and there is no extra charge for additional passengers.
I'd recommend this to anyone who might not be able to manage bags very well
themselves. (For more information on taxi fares see https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/taxis-and-minicabs/taxi-fares)
Another option is the Heathrow Express which is a train line from Heathrow to
Paddington Station in London and is the fastest way to go from Heathrow to
London. From Paddington to your hotel, you would need to walk, take a taxi,
take a bus, or take the Underground. Another option is the Underground which is
the cheapest way to travel from Heathrow to London and is part of the
Piccadilly Line. With this option I would not use this if traveling into
Central London with anything more than carry-on luggage as the gap between the
train cars and some platforms, as well as the stairs and escalators in some
Underground stations might be problematic to negotiate. And the last would be
National Express, which is motor coach service between Heathrow and Victoria
coach Station which is adjacent to the Victoria Rail Station. These can be as
low as £5 for the 8:50 coach and can be as much as £12.50 for some departures. (For more
information on National Express see http://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports/heathrow-airport.aspx)
Based on my hotel
location, I took the National Express, which cost £5 and took about 1:30 to reach the Victoria
Coach Station with no transfers. This put me only one block from my hotel which
was an easy and quick walk.
As I did have some time
to kill before I left Heathrow, I went to the Underground Ticket Counter on the
ground floor of arrivals at the terminal. Here I was able to purchase an Oyster
Card which covered my trips on the London Underground for my entire time in
London.
For my return to
America, I was not traveling alone but with my mother and uncle. We asked the
front desk at our hotel to book us a car, which would allow us slightly more
room than a London taxi. The ride took about 30 minutes (we were traveling
opposite rush hour commuter traffic) and was just over £40 for the three of us. We arrived at Heathrow
three hours before our flight. I'd not arrive any earlier as you cannot check
bags more than three hours before your flight. Check-in took no time at all and
we then proceeded to the VAT refund station. highly recommended if you've
bought items costing over £100. I took my refunds in pounds sterling, which gives me
plenty of cash for my next trip to the UK without having to stop at a money
exchange before or after my arrival in the UK.
Once
through security, we decided to stay in the main part of Terminal 5, rather
than go out to Terminal 5B. Terminal 5B has a Starbucks and a Weatherspoon
Express, but those are the only food options. for shopping they have a rather
tiny Harrods shop, Boots, WH Smith, and World Duty Free among a few other
shops. But the main Terminal 5 with the A gates has a much wider selection,
which is why I decided to remain there until an hour before my departure time.
For food, the main Terminal 5 has a nice sized Harrods shop, three separate WH
Smith shops, Boots, Burberry, Cartier, Cath Kidson, Chanel, Dior, Fortnum &
Mason, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Mulberry, Prada, Rolex,
Smythson, Thomas Pink, Tiffany, World Duty Free, World of Whiskies, among other
shopping venues. For food they have a Pret A Manger, Starbucks, Caviar House,
Fortnum & Mason Champagne Bar, Itsu, Pilots Bar & Kitchen, and The
Crown Rivers. With such a variety, you can see why I didn't make haste to
Terminal 5B with so much time to kill in the airport before my flight.
Once
in the air and on our way we were offered beverages, followed by a nice lunch,
both of which I enjoyed with a glass of wine.
The lunch was quite lovely and before landing we were served second light lunch.
I
can't say enough about British Airways or the entire travel experience and am
already making plans to return to London, following the same travel
arrangements as in this trip.
For travel reservations with
British Airways, please visit their website at https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_us
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