Just Touched Down in Londontown

As you may have read in “Making a Living,” I flew to London last weekend for a job interview. I didn’t have a whole lot of time (only 4 days) or money (still saving for Australia), so I had to keep it as cheap as possible. I stayed at my beloved Palmer’s Lodge Hostel in Swiss Cottage, where I stayed on my last trip there 2 years ago.

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I landed on Thursday morning around 8 a.m. but couldn’t check in until 2 p.m., so I had a lot of time to kill.  I grabbed my camera and stopped by Leicester Square to see all the Harry Potter buzz (more on this tomorrow) on my way to the British Museum. Somehow on my two trips, I had never made it to the biggest museum in London.

I picked a bad day to go since every school group in the city was there, so it was pretty overwhelming. I did, however, see the Rosetta Stone (yeah, THAT one), one of the Easter Island statues and lots of other amazing artifacts. I stopped by St. John’s Wood on the way back to my hostel to see the famed Abbey Road.

It didn’t look like much until I saw the wall in front of the studios signed by generations of Beatles fans. I finally got to check in and was glad to take a power nap. I had fish and chips for dinner at the hostel restaurant before heading back to Leicester Square for more HP madness. That night, I met my Slovenian roommates who taught be how to say “cheers” (or “bless you”), “na zdravjic,” in their language. Always a good word to know!

The next morning, I was up bright and early to get ready for my big interview. I made my way over to Trafalgar Travel Centre, where I met with the competition. There were people from all over, including Australia (big shocker there), Scotland, England, Ireland, New Zealand, and Romania. I was, of course, the only American.

I was nervous when giving my presentation, but I think it went well and I got asked back for a second interview. A couple of us went out for drinks afterward at Ha Ha Bar and Grill to talk about the interview, television, politics, and everything in between.

I braved the London wind and rain (and broke my umbrella in the process) to get back to Swiss Cottage for a £3 microwave spaghetti carbonara from Marks & Spencer’s. I headed over to Fleet Street to meet the lovely Cailin of Travel Yourself, Justin of 48 Hour Adventure and friends at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a super old pub with windy staircases and cheap beer. I peaced out early to meet up with my friend CJ, who was also interviewing for the job, but the Tube renovations made it too difficult.

Even though my second interview wasn’t until 2 p.m., I started my day early since I knew everything would take twice as long because of the four closed Tube lines. I walked up the hill to the gorgeous Hampstead Heath, which I knew I had to see after watching the movie Russian Dolls.

I grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s before taking the bus to Bressenden Place. My interview was short and sweet, which left me enough time to do some shopping. I tried, in vain, to go to Spitalfield’s Market, but the buses were a mess, so I opted for Knightsbridge instead.

I browsed a packed Topshop and Harrod’s before grabbing a panini and going back to Swiss Cottage. I hit up the hostel bar and talked to an Aussie girl and a fellow American guy before getting some sleep before my long day of flying.

So how did I keep this trip cheap? I’m not going to lie, I had some help from my family. But here’s some other things that can help you stay on budget in an expensive town like London:

• Stay further out of town for cheaper hostels or couchsurf.
• Get an Oyster card. It’s much cheaper than buying individual day passes AND you can refill it on your next trip to London.
• Buy groceries instead of eating out. There are a lot of good options at Selfridges, Marks & Spencer’s and any of your local corner stores. Ethnic foods in the Brick Lane area are also cheaper options.
• Hit up the free museums: Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery. You’ve got plenty to choose from.
• If you’re going to drink, go to BYO restaurants or pick local drafts.
• Print off coupons. The lovely Jayne of 40 Countries Before 30, a Londoner, told me about VoucherCodes, which has restaurant and tourist spot coupons.
• Free walking tours are available daily from Hyde Park Corner. It’s also better to take the city bus instead of a bus tour. You can see the same views of the city on your way to somewhere else.
• Markets instead of chains will save you money. Topshop isn’t cheap, but you can find similar goods at Spitalfields, Camden or Portobello Road.