Your London Questions: Answered

We just got home from London and had the best time. I will be writing more about the trip in the days to come, but wanted to answer some questions I received on Instagram, including regrets and trip cost.

How do you make it work traveling with your ex-husband?

Thankfully, Matthew my ex-husband and I are still friends and like to be around one another. We always book an AirBNB to give us ample space to spread out when we are not doing excursions. We also are flexible with one another re: needs. For instance, there were several times where Matthew wanted to go back and relax and I wanted to explore, so we split up.

It is important to us that even though we are divorced, we create core memories with our kids together. This was a bucket list type trip, and we wanted to do it together.

Are you satisfied with the location of your hotel?

I spent a lot of time talking to friends who have gone to London and lived in London and decided to stay in South Kensington. We chose to book an AirBNB instead of a hotel because we needed at least three bedrooms. I also love having a washer/dryer on vacation, which enables us to pack lighter. The hotels in London were pretty pricey and the AirBNBs offered more for our money. We absolutely loved the location and found it perfect for a family.

How long were you there to see all the things?

We had 5.5 days in London. I really wished I had booked one more day. I think one more day would have allowed me to check off just a few more things on my list!

Any trouble with finding your kids food they would eat?

Nope! There were kid friendly options everywhere. My kids ate pasta, pizza, burgers, chicken and fish and chips (of course!).

Did you use a travel agent?

I did not. Many readers and followers left comments/recommendations of things to see, and so I used those, combined with friends’ recommendations and Instagram reels that I had saved.

Everyday Reading and Local Passport Family both had great recommendations too.

What were your top favorites?

The Tower of London was everyone’s favorite! Other favorites included Windsor, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and Stonehenge. Everyone loved A Christmas Carol and Frozen too.

Where did you have tea with Adeline?

We had tea at Harrod’s, which is one of the most famous tea rooms in London.

Why did you choose this time of year?

We found flights that were about 50% off the normal price on Going. I was also able to use points I had from getting a Capitol One credit card.

I knew I wanted to do a London trip this year and spring break wasn’t an option because of a work commitment for Matthew. So when the deal popped for January 1, I bought tickets immediately.

Lastly, London is known for being magical at Christmas time!

What tour guide did you use for the Tower of London?

Tours are free at The Tower of London and are included with your ticket.

Did you buy tours or just manage driving/touring on your own?

The only tour we bought was a day trip to Windsor/Stonehenge/Bath. Everything else we managed on our home. London is a very easy city to navigate and people are very friendly. We went up to lots of strangers to get pointed in the right direction. We also had a lot of very knowledgeable cab drivers. For instance, on our way to the Globe, our cab driver pulled over to show us the original spot of the theater and took our picture there.

What did you think of your kids’ ages for the trip?

I thought they were the perfect ages. The trip was costly, so I don’t think I would have done it with younger kids. I want my kids to remember it.

What shoes did you wear?

I brought my Chelsea boots and Nike sneakers. I wore my boots every day because they are waterproof. Lots of women were wearing Chelsea boots and combat boots in London.

Where were your jackets from?

Our coats were all perfect for the trip. The weather was rainy a bit almost every day and in the 40s. Here are links (they are all on major sale).

My younger two were wearing these jackets from Lands’ End (I accidentally ordered a size too big for Ezra, and I didn’t have time to exchange it. He didn’t mind and now he will get a few years of wear out of it.). They are currently on sale for only $30, come in lots of colors and are such high quality!

Elias wore this coat from Gap. (It was great and he loved it. The only downside for London was that it didn’t have a hood, which would have been nice for when it was rainy!) It’s 70% off right now (only $30!).

My long black jacket is DKNY and on sale at Macy’s right now. It is so warm and I love that the inside has a built in vest. A great Black Friday purchase.

What brand is your purse?

My crossbody purse is Maedn. It is my most loved crossbody purse and I have it in two colors. (I have tried about six styles/brands). It holds so much and is comfortable to wear. Use code Turner for 15% off.

Did you use any travel backpacks?

Yes, we traveled with the 20L and 30L Nomatic backpacks. They were great!

Did you go to the Harry Potter Studio Tour?

I wish! This is my biggest regret. The day I booked the flights, I looked at the Harry Potter Studio Tours site to book tickets and it was sold out. I didn’t realize that tour companies book the majority of the tickets. I should have booked through another site. By the time I realized this, it was sold out and I couldn’t get tickets from anywhere. We tried calling looking for a cancellation every day while in London, but didn’t have any luck.

Anything you wish you had done, but didn’t?

Besides Harry Potter, I wish we’d:

Rode a river taxi to see the city from the river (we planned to do this on the last day, but everyone was exhausted)
Rode a double decker bus. We had tickets, but were pressed for time and the routes just didn’t make sense for us.
Planned Borough Market for a different day so it wouldn’t have been closed on the day we went.
I would have loved to see Matilda and Les Mis!

Anything you could have skipped?

My family could have skipped the Churchill War Rooms. We also could have skipped the Natural History Museum and the Bath portion of our day trip.

What was the cost of the trip?

This was not a cheap trip. But frankly, neither was Disney World and I loved this a lot more! I have been collecting airline points for over a year and watching for deals on flights, so we saved about 50% off on the flight. I also got a deal on AirBNB gift cards to help save on our stay. I am sharing some of the big figures to help if you plan a similar itinerary. I am not sharing food/taxi/tube because I think that would vary depending on your preferences, where you stay, etc.

Airfare (included seating upgrades so we could guarantee sitting together): $3500

AirBNB + travel insurance: $3700 ($616 a night)

Theater tickets (2 shows for five people with floor seating + 1 show for 1 person): $2000

Shrek + Double Decker Bus Tour: $311

Windsor/Stonehenge: $890

Tower of London $155

Changing of the Guard: $97

Churchill War Rooms: $145

The Globe Tour: $132

Total: $10,930

Ways we could have saved more money:

Stayed in a smaller AirBNB (I wanted everyone to sleep well, so paid a little more to have three bedrooms, vs. people sleeping on a pull out sofa in a living room.)
Travel to London during a slower season. Because we traveled during the holiday break, we had to pay a premium for our AirBNB (it was $200 more a night during the week we stayed then the week after.)
Bought rush tickets for a less popular show (Frozen was very expensive, but on par with Broadway. It has been years since 5 of us went to a Broadway type show, so we splurged.) Rush tickets are typically $25-$60 a ticket, but none were available for Frozen.
Booked a shorter day trip that didn’t include Bath.

In contrast, my friend Preethi wrote a blog post about a 6-day London trip for $700.