This summer, my family and I were able to embark on maybe the most unbelievable travel adventure of our lives up until this point: 2 weeks in the UK & Europe. Spoiler: it was even more incredible than I even imagined it would be. Our first stop for three glorious nights was...
London, England!
GETTING THERE
We flew direct from ATL to LHR on Virgin Atlantic, which was an 8-hour flight. This option was really appealing to us because it gave us a full day to explore after landing. Flying economy overnight with two young kids was 1) new for us and 2) a lot harder than our typical daytime flights, but it was really nice to arrive early and have more time to see this wonderful city.
THE FLIGHT
Our kids really did great given the complexities of an overnight flight, and we were quite proud of them (even while sleep deprived ourselves, LOL). They were so excited to have blankets, pillows, headphones, AND personal tvs waiting for them at their seats. This was their first non-Southwest flight, and they were amazed by all the "extras." We all loved how frequently we were served, too: a snack and drink shortly after boarding, dinner around an hour into the flight, breakfast around an hour before we landed, and frequent beverage cart visits throughout the flight.
The kids *maybe* got 2.5 hours of sleep, and TJ and I probably only got around 1.5 hours broken up into chunks. We hoped for more (and all took melatonin gummies to help), but it didn't work out that way for us this time. TJ sat across the aisle from us and the people around him were not shy in taking up as much space as they could, and our kids sat on either side of me and did the same.
The gist: redeye flights are hard but have lots of pros.
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THE ARRIVAL
Upon arriving at LHR, we took a pre-booked taxi from the airport to our hotel that was about an hour drive. We were able to check into our hotel upon arrival thanks to my status with Hyatt, and we freshened up and quickly started our explorations.
I read from many people that staying awake on the first day after arriving is really important for jet lag, and it thankfully worked for us. We were all hit with exhaustion throughout the day, but we pressed on until an early bedtime. A 12-hour night of sleep followed and worked wonders for us, and we all felt mostly adjusted by the time we woke up on our second day.
OUR ITINERARY
We had three full days in London, and our days were filled with lots of wandering, wondering, and a few pre-booked activities.
DAY ONE
-Arrive & drop bags off at hotel
-Walk to visit/see the following places: St. Paul's Cathedral, River Thames, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament Square, Victoria Embankment, Trafalgar Square
-Enjoy an afternoon tea aboard the Paddington Bus
-Back to the hotel for an early bedtime
DAY TWO
-Breakfast at our hotel
-Harry Potter Studio Tour
-Ride the tube to The Black Dog for pictures (and singing in the street, of course)
-Play at a playground near The Black Dog
-Explore the Southbank area (carousel, shops, etc)
-The Blackfriar for dinner (fish and chips!!)
-Another early bedtime
DAY THREE
-Sleep in again & enjoy another hotel breakfast
-Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
-Self-guided walking tour through/to St. James Park, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Queen Mary's Park, The Regent's Park, Gloucester Gate Playground, Primrose Hill, Paddingon Bear/The Brown's house from the movies
-Back to Buckingham Palace for lesser crowds & up close viewing/pictures
-Train from Buckingham Palace to London Bridge
-Borough Market for dinner
-Walk back to hotel to pack up and prepare for our next destination
Three days was not enough to see everything that makes London so special, but we gratefully left with no regrets and a whole lot of memories. The three nights we spent in connecting rooms at Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars were incredible, too, and we would return to stay there again with zero hesitation.
We all agreed that London was the best starting point for these two weeks abroad, and we genuinely loved everything about our time there.
Next stop: Paris, France!
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