« October 2008 | Main | December 2008 »

November 11, 2008

London Walks Highly Recommended

Would like to give a hearty recommendation of the London Walks tour company.

London Walks offers two-hour walking tours of London and daylong trips from London in order to walk at locales throughout much of England.

The extraordinarily high caliber of the guides and careful itinerary planning make these walks very special. Fodor, Lonely Planet, and others consider London Walks the best.

There are an amazing array of choices for the first time visitor, as well as a fascinating variety of walks that will appeal to those for have lived in London all of their lives.

You’ll find the basics like the Tower of London and Old Westminster walks, as well as a nice selection of truly off beat selections.

For example, how about “Blood Curdling London,” an evening jaunt on Saturdays? As the description says, “O.K., you’ve done Jack Ripper [walks] – now let’s get serious . . ..”

Also highly recommended are the day trips.

With these, you receive a group train fare or you can use your Britrail pass to access walking locations with your guide, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Warwick and Leeds castles, Brighton, and Stratford-Upon-Avon. You’ll save significant money over coach tours, and have the chance to visit wonderful places such as Winston Churchill’s Chartwell and Sissinghurst Castle Garden not offered by Gray Line-type tours.

On these longer trips, you’ll never walk for more than two hours at a time. There are always frequent stops. You won’t need exceptional fitness. All you will need are comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather. No walks are cancelled because of rain. (After all, this is England.)

Please see the website for more details.

November 01, 2008

Southwest Seat Assignment Tip

Regular Southwest travelers have this revised procedure down pat, but if you haven't flown with Southwest for awhile, this advice is for you:

If you're traveling on Southwest, definately check in online as close to 24 hours prior to departure as you can. This is your best chance to get a good seat—not a specific seat assignment, but instead the priority to board early to select a good seat. Also, for excellent priority, check in online on Southwest even if you can't access a printer. You can then print out your priority boarding pass at the airport.