London is perhaps my favorite major city in the world! I feel blessed to have been able to visit it many times as a traveler, as well as having lived in Notting Hill for six months back in 2009.
As an American, London felt familiar from a very young age due to the vast amount of British culture we’re exposed to: 101 Dalmatians, The Parent Trap, Spice World and Harry Potter, to name a few of my favorites. And we Americans sure do love a posh British accent! 🙂
To this day, many American families dream of visiting London to see famous sites like Tower Bridge, the Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye first-hand. To many, the city feels approachable not only because it’s heavily featured in American media, but also because the locals speak the same (or at least a similar) language. For this reason, London is many American travelers’ first European destination.
This past spring, my family made the decision to visit London over the Fourth of July holiday (ironic, I know). This particular trip would be my sixteen-year-old cousin’s first time in Europe. Because my husband and I are very close with my aunt, uncle, and cousin (and I’ll jump on any excuse to visit London!), we decided to join! This brought our group’s headcount to four adults and one teenager.
With so much sightseeing to be done, I took on the role as lead itinerary planner for the trip given my intimate knowledge of the city. That said, there were several important tactics that I used to plan a successful family trip.
1. Ask each person what their top priorities are.
The most important way to ensure a good trip is to have an itinerary so you avoid losing time each morning trying to find a consensus about what everyone in the group wants to do. Also, nothing ruins a trip faster than people who complain about an activity on the itinerary.
With that, it is important to recognize that the essence of a complaint likely stems from the person feeling that their needs are not being met.
For that reason, it’s ideal to plan dedicated activities for each person in the group so they each have their own special moments to look forward to, which they will share with their loved ones. I’ve found that family members are much happier and more giving to each other if they already know that their dreams and desires will have their time in the sun as well. By creating an itinerary that features everyone’s priorities, no one in the group will feel that they are compromising on their bucket list items!
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Ben Franklin
2. Use Google Maps religiously.
Once you know the group’s priorities, it is important to build an efficient itinerary. London is an enormous city, with great distances between many of its popular sites. The most important thing that a trip planner can do is to cluster activities by proximity in order to avoid spending too much time and money in transit.
Thus, I found myself often cross-referencing our activities on Google Maps to understand where they are in relation to each other. By grouping all nearby activities into specific days on your schedule, you can make sure that you budget spending enough time at each place and avoid long transit times. Hitting only one new neighborhood each day will do wonders for conserving everyone’s energy levels and maximizing what you can see.
3. Build in flexibility for each day’s weather.
When my family and I were in London this July, the city was having one of the longest, warmest droughts on record. In a highly uncharacteristic way, it did not rain at all while we were there, and the weather was incredibly hot (the grass in Hyde Park was brown!). As a surprise to us, we had moments when we needed to alter our plans so we could actually leave indoor attractions (such as the British Museum), because they were not air conditioned and we overheated. While not typical for London, it is a good example of needing a bit of flexibility.
Typically, London is known for chillier, rainy weather, so it is always important to check the forecasts before you leave so you pack waterproof clothing and shoes accordingly. Often travelers will experience an entire day of rainy weather, which may prompt a need to adjust your schedule to include more indoor activities. Because of this, my rule of thumb is that if the weather looks nice – definitely reprioritize your plans to maximize any outdoor sites while it’s sunny!
4. Estimate costs for each activity and meal so there are no surprises.
London is a very expensive city. Entrance fees to certain attractions like the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey can be steep, especially for a big group. Simply eating lunch in Zone 1 (where the main tourist areas are) can be $20-$30 per person. After you’ve mapped out all of your top activities for your trip, it is important to make sure you’ve priced out what each will cost and use a currency conversion formula to understand the US dollar equivalent. Many families will find themselves spending hundreds of dollars per day while visiting London, and it’s important to avoid any monetary surprises – especially after you return and see the bill! Breaking your budget halfway through the trip is a surefire way to cause stress and ruin your great time!
5. Review the itinerary as a family with enough time to make tweaks.
There are two reasons why this final step is very important. First, it allows all family members to better visualize their upcoming experience and self-reflect whether they feel their needs will indeed be met during the vacation. This gives a forum for people to change their minds and re-prioritize what they want to see – if needed.
Secondly, it lays out the expectations for sharing. For people who have never been to London before, it is easy to get lost in one’s daydreams about having tea with the Queen, and not think about what the day-to-day elements will actually look like. For example, some people may picture themselves casually ambling along the banks of the Thames River without a care in the world, but now they will understand that the activity will actually occur as a means of walking from a morning ride on The London Eye to an afternoon show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Their dream activity will still happen, but it has a purpose and a time limit. Having each family member understand the sharing mentality prior to the trip will help anyone planning a family vacation to London achieve harmony.
Typically, parents and families decide to go on a vacation to London because they feel the trip will allow them to learn about new cultures and history – and it will! If the trip planner(s) develop a comprehensive plan to optimize everyone’s needs and have the family navigate the city as a unit, it is possible to have a meaningful trip that brings home one of the most important souvenirs of all: very happy memories.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Visit my blog post “Use Multiple Resources to Plan Your Best Trip Ever” for my recommendations of what tools to use to create an amazing travel itinerary!
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