I wish I had an iPad. AKA I'm going to England!

Today marks two weeks until I finally get my lifelong dream to come true! I finally get to go to England! I have wanted to go to England and France for as long as I can remember. I went to France about a year and a half ago (I get to go back with my mom this year!) and I am finally making my way around this world!

I started to plan this trip in a completely hypothetical way. I made up a travel budget which included hostels, flights, trains, buses, etc. I made a spending budget which included food, extra drinks in pubs, and a small portion for books. I looked up prices for all of these things and had everything sorted, but nothing actually booked or paid for. I haven't got a credit card, I still can't decided if it's a good thing or not, so I cannot book flights or hostels or anything of the like. I talked to my host family about wanting to take my first vacation, this was in early December just after Stefan arrived back home, and they said that I could do it! The original layout was for me to have one week to travel through England, Scotland, and Ireland. Well, then I found out that my dad was buying my mother a plane ticket to come visit me as a Christmas present. So I talked to my mom, who has this odd obsession with Scotland, about us possibly going to Scotland for a few days or even just spending half the time in Germany and Half in Scotland, well that quickly flared into us somehow doing to Paris, Scotland, and Ireland. Leaving me with doing just England this time. I think it'll be a blast to go to the others with her though, she has been to Scotland three times, after all.
Here are the hypothetical plans that I made.

I am posting this not to talk about my love of travel but about the inner workings that I go through when I want to travel. I know that a lot of you out there reading this probably aren't as OCD as I am when it comes to having every detail (large ones) planned out before you even purchase anything for the trip, but if my ways can help you at all...yay! First I want to list a few of the resources that I used in planning.

For housing on this trip I am staying in a hostel in London and will be making day trips to other places, such as Oxford and possibly Canterbury, then returning to London to sleep. It is cheaper to find one good place and day travel instead of staying at five different places in the span of one week. I used hostelworld.com for searching for a good hostel. They all have reviews, very good descriptions, and they only charge you about 10% of the total cost to book the hostel, then you can pay the rest with card or cash when you arrive to check in! I managed to fins one that had breakfast included and was somehow close to the center of London. What luck!

 For flights I used ryanair.com because they have the best prices for flights within Europe. I am not sure exactly how much my flights cost because they were given to me by my host family as a Christmas present, but the last time I looked them up it was about 14 Euros for each. You really can't beat that!

I used nationalrail.co.uk for seeing exactly how the trains worked and how easy it would be to get from one place to another. It automatically gives you the cheapest fare right from the off, so you don't have to spend hours searching!

Okay. Now, my plan is to only have my backpack with me. It is a 25L Outdoor Product Day Pack. It's got the waist and chest buckles for extra support, which also makes it great for hiking! I think that my favourite feature is that it still has the small pencil pocket in the front, easy for journaling. Because I will not have any checked baggage, it will be harder for me to take toiletries with me. I hope that everything that I have researched about it though will help me in the long run. I will have two small toiletries bags, one clear quart sized bag with shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, lotion, contact solution, and toothpaste (everything considered to be liquid); the second will have my hairbrush, toothbrush, contacts, etc.
As for clothing I am hoping to fit:
two flannel button up shirts
two v-neck shirts (used for undershirts)
one short sleeve t-shirt
one long sleeve t-shirt
two pairs of skinny jeans
one wool cardigan
Leggings for pajama bottoms
seven pairs of underwear
one extra bra
four pairs of socks (I know what you're thinking, "why only 4?" I'll be wearing them twice. A little gross, but it saves space.)
one towel (my hostel doesn't provide one)
two toiletries bags
chacos (for in the shower)
I will also have my winter jacket and one infinity scarf
Also my hiking boots

All of this in my little day pack is actually possible!
See?

All clothing, along with some outfit ideas.

Toiletries, journal, and everything electronic.

And that is what I call packed!

See you on the other side!

How I Made It In London For One Week On A Budget Tighter Than Your Average Skinny Jeans

Natural History Museum

Alright everyone! I know that my last post about England wasn't very full of info, but this is the post that I would like to give you the low down on everything! I am a very organised person, but I really wanted this trip to be "unplanned". I love that I was actually able to pull everything off that I did on the budget that I had, but there are still some things on my list that I did not get to mark off. That being said: I do plan on going back to continue working on that list. 

My budget for this trip was about £160. I say that because my hostel money was also in that budget. I do realise that it is not a lot of money, but you have to think about the city that I traveled to. All museums in London are FREE! They are a great experience and also a fantastic getaway from the rain if you just happen to forget you umbrella back at the hostel (true story). I think that, as much as I love are and loved seeing real Van Gogh works hanging on walls in from of me, I loved the Victoria and Albert museum the most. I believe that I had a post about always touching old buildings and how much I love doing so, so the fact that the thing I saw most in the museum the most were the signs stating "Do Not Touch",made going through the museum hard but it was to be expected. I only paid to get into one museum and that was The Globe Theatre. It was well worth the money too. It was pouring down rain that day and it was amazing. I actually got to sit in on one of the main actors of the theatre recording some sort of commercial. It was almost like watching a performance, or at least I got to hear just how great the acoustics could be. Even though the building that I was sitting in was finished in about 1993, it is an original "remake". They took Shakespeare's works and what they said to remake his original theatre. I really suggest making this part of your list even if you are not into Shakespeare or theatre, it was a great bit of history to learn about and they also have a museum inside with costumes and set designs, and my favourite...more history!!!

Costume from The Globe Theatre

Victoria and Albert Museum

For all of you music lovers reading, there are SO many different items that you could add to your list! A few that I went to were to the theatres around town. If you're having trouble finding some, you clearly are either looking too hard or you're one street over. Theatres are everywhere in London! I think I mistakenly found at least five! My favourites being Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Albert Hall is right across the street from the Royal College of Music. (Which just so happens to be on the backside of the Natural History Museum!)

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal College of Music has a small museum inside it and it is well worth going into. I stumbled upon an original painting of Haydn that I had seen in my Music History textbook at one point and nearly screamed from excitement! There are also abundant churches where they have recitals on different instruments, most of which, if not all, are free. I attended an organ recital at St. Paul's Cathedral and it was not only a great recital, but the church itself was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

For me, this trip was not about going into every place that I came upon, but to be able to be near some of these buildings that, if you're like most, are only seen in movies or on the internet. It was incredible to stand next to them and just have that moment of realisation of "holy crap! I am in London, England and just so happen to be taking a photo of Big Ben". Or you could walk down Baker St. and see 221B and just sort of giggle to yourself as you look for Cumberbatch and Freeman to come walking round the corner. 

I also had set aside about £35 to make a small day trip to Oxford. I am so glad that I did! I did not have a set day on which I would travel there, but I did look up ticket prices and journey length beforehand. It only took about one hour by train to get there. (I actually almost missed the train. I was the last to board and they shut the doors behind me.) But I made it! I met some very nice people while I was there as well! I am a HUGE C.S. Lewis fan, so to be that close to Oxford and not make the trip would have just been silly! I wanted to go to everywhere that had to do the Lewis and I was able to, but only just. I could not have accounted for the pub that he and Tolkien frequented to be under work, but all was well. I did however get to see his home. I WALKED IN C.S. LEWIS' HOME!!! I was trying so hard to hide everything that was so eagerly trying to burst out, but it did not end up staying in... If you're ever in Oxford...just go to Oxford. Just go. It's a beautiful city and I think everyone should go there at least once. The above photo is of the common room of Lewis' home (AKA where he and Tolkien would pace and discuss life, literature, and Christianity.) Only freaked out a bit on that one.

And on the note of trains and trips, I will speak briefly of the London Underground! Riding that thing was so much fun! It made me feel local! It is, however, rather expensive. When I was in Paris two years ago, a oneway ticket for the metro was about €1.40. For the Underground it is about £4.00. I strongly suggest getting some sort of Oyster card. I was able to use one from Stefan that he had from when he performed in London. It was just the one that you can refill with whatever amount you want, but it cuts the cost in half! There are also other options with Oyster! You can get a card for about £37 that will let you ride endlessly on anything that will allow Oyster card payment. (Most of the buses that you see in London take Oyster, and all Undergrounds, DLR, etc.) I would also like to state that having maps out while walking around the streets is not a very good idea. I usually pulled off into a local cafe or something of the like before pulling out maps to start thinking of where to go next. It was easier and you weren't interrupting the everyday lives of those around you. (Tube maps are in every station and city maps can me found just about everywhere including your average hostel.)

My food budget was a little scary. I ended up only doing about £10 per day. I know that it sounds bad, but for about £3, you can go into a market and buy a sandwich, a yogurt with granola, and a drink, so it really isn't bad. My hostel did include breakfast which was very nice! It was just a small spread of some cereals, toast, and tea (would you expect anything less from and English breakfast?). I am, however, a very big coffee fan and even though I can go days without having coffee, I choose not to. I did enjoy going to the local coffee shops! The coffee is great and it is much cheaper than your average Starbucks! I will confess that I stopped at some Starbucks joints just to sit for a bit and use the internet. The local shops, however, are where you'll find really cool people and get to just sit and relax in a different atmosphere. I ended up finding one coffee shop in Monmouth where they had communal tables! I met a couple from Boston, two people from England, one guy from Ireland who traveled between NY and London as an actor, and an Australian! The tables were "Mobile free zones", which made you talk to one another! I loved it! Overall, my favourite coffee shop in the world right now, and to top it off, the coffee was absolutely AMAZING! Monmouth Coffee Co., if you're ever in the area check it out!

All in all, the trip was not too bad. If you would like to have more of a social experience other than that at a hostel, which is great for making new friends, then I would just tell you to have a bit more money than I had. If you really just want to experience the city and see the amazing sites that it holds, then you do not need much money. I hope this post helps! Have fun on your next adventure! I know I will!

On a very different side note: I got to see my best friend today!

He is on his way to Israel and had a layover in Frankfurt! So good to see him again!

Bis dann!!

New Places, New Friends, and New Passport Stamps!

Well, I made it successfully to and from England! It was everything I could have ever hoped for and I am still in a bit of awe that I was actually there. I keep looking at the photos I took and some of them help me realise that I really was there...because they are very blurry. HA! But all in all I had an absolutely beautiful time and cannot wait to go back with my mom! I ended up stumbling upon most of the things that I wanted to see and having a completely wanderlust experience! My only regret is not really looking for all the famous people who live there. Better luck next time, I suppose!

The Globe Theatre

While I was on the train to Oxford I saw a man writing music in a notebook with a pen. That could only mean one thing, right? He was a composer. Only composers have the guts to actually notate in pen. We started talking and he said that he was on his way to hear one of his piece live for the first time. Now, when arriving in Oxford I had a agenda to visit everything that had to do with C.S. Lewis. He is my favourite author! I went to his house and got a tour. (My day in Oxford was the best and worst day of my life.) Everything that I wanted to do that had to do with C.S. Lewis was closed, but there are nice enough people in the world that when you knock on doors crying, they help you. Needless to say, it was a pretty good day by the end.

I really don't want to post pictures from everything that I did and saw, but  above are some of my favourites. If you would like to see more photos or have any questions about anything, I would be happy to answer them and show you more photos! You can email me! My info is under my Keep In Touch at the top of the page. 

Cheers! Bis Dann!