London weather has been good to us – blue skies with cool breeze – the perfect weather to go around on a hop on hop off tour. On our third day, we went and visited Madame Tussaud’s Musuem. The queue was long so it was good we purchased the tickets in advance. Arish and I enjoyed the experience more than the kids. I think they got bored because they do not really know who those people were except for Spiderman of course.
The bus going back to the main loop just so much time and we got late for a meeting. While there, it was not all play. We met with two couples who are all based in London and will be getting married in Dubai. So after our trip in Madame Tussaud, we went back to our hotel and met with them.
After our meeting, we went and met with some friends and my aunt (again) for a ride on the London Eye. It was quite an experience but not that amazing. The wait on the queue was longer than the whole experience of going around the Eye. The view on top was breath-taking especially during sunset though. If you get the chance and time to ride the Eye, go for it but otherwise, you can skip it. Thank you Cesar and family for this unforgettable experience.
Fourth day, I woke up excited because we will be going to Harry Potter Studios. I am not a hard core Potter fan but yeah…I read all the books (some of them twice) and watched all the films several times. A week before our trip, I was disappointed because there were no available tickets for Harry Potter anymore. But then I read on a forum thread that I can try and check Golden Tours website every few hours because there are some customers who cancels theirs and the slot opens up until it is booked again. And yup! God is good and gave us tickets – all 4 of us (well, Kurt goes in for free). I had to pay extra though for chauffeur services as the tickets available were upgraded ones…so I shelled out more than I planned because I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Seeing the Great Hall and Hogwarts Express in person, having delicious Butterbeer, and bringing home some goodies was worth it.
And the chauffeur ride was also comfortable. Mr. Recep, our chauffeur, was a jolly old man. He’s been in London for more than 30 years. Originally from Turkey, he flew to London to look for his luck even though he was scared of flying. He worked odd jobs to feed his family and now he proudly owns his own home, all his kids are now having stable businesses in London and he has an allotment where he grows organic vegetables, fruits and some roses. He humbly took us there on our way back to the hotel and we had a unique berry picking experience. We picked some pears too and tomatoes which went directly to our stomachs.
Traveling is an awesome experience. But what’s more awesome are the new people we meet and the old friends and relatives we reunite with. The views and the photos just come next.
So as promised, here again are 5 more tips to help traveling parents ease their experiences:
6. Bring your babies’ medicines for emergencies. The change of weather might make them sick and you don’t want to experiment on some other meds.
7. Carry their favorite toy to soothe them during long flights. Our daughter’s stuff dog has been to more cities than my sister because he is already a staple for Khloe’s bedtime.
8. Traveling al lot? A lightweight buggy is a must. It should fold easily and can be carried by one hand. It can also be maneuvered with one hand. When your baby is smaller, a carrier is also a lot of help especially when you need both hands in taking pictures. 🙂
9. The key to traveling with kids with ease lies in the packing. If you carry too much, you give yourself a hard time and your kids an awful experience. Pack the necessary only. Make a list. You don’t have to have a different set of outfits everyday nor a different pair of shoes for each time you go out. This was a mistake I made. I packed 6 sets of pajamas for each kid and 6 sets of clothes plus extras. These tiny people occupied more luggage space than us. And they didn’t wear all of them. So note to self, pack less. Children will not die if they will wear their clothes again unless they are super filthy.
10. Create a journal. In my case, I write this blog. Khloe already enjoys reading old blogs when they are about family or about her. And she loves to see the pictures again.
So 5 more tips on the last installment of our London trip blog. 🙂
