Last week’s work trip was yet another two day trip to Germany.
It all started with an early morning flight from London City to Düsseldorf, a fairly straight forward affair with no notable story to share.
After visiting two showrooms in the area and a brief sweat getting stuck in traffic during rush hour on the way back to the airport, I eventually made it back to Düsseldorf just in time to board my onward flight to Berlin for the night.
Whenever you visit London, chances are at some point during your visit you will end up with a little (or not so little) shopping trip. And why wouldn’t you. There are plenty of stores, catering for all budgets and tastes. From high-end designer shops to well-known mainstream chains to the vintage and unique. So to help you pick the right shops for your taste and budget, here’s a quick overview of the best shopping places in London. If you are looking for plus size shopping tips for London, head over to my London Plus Size Shopping Guide.
For me 1st November marks the turning point between ‘It’s far too early to think about Christmas’ to ‘Oh gosh, how can it be November already? Time’s ticking’… let’s officially kick off the season and start the Christmas cheer… NOW. Time to get all presents sorted and cookies baked. So let me tell you about London at Christmas time. In case you are planning a pre Christmas trip to London this year (although, if you do, please check the current travel restrictions).
Needless to say (but I will say it anyway) London is a travel destination all year round, but visiting London in the run up to Christmas feels extra special and an experience plenty of people seek every year.
To help you make the most of your pre Christmas trip to London, I’ve put together a little collection of things to do and see to get your Christmas spirits up.
Let’s just assume that most of you have the same habit as me when it comes to city trips. I tend to take the plane rather than car to get there, meaning I have to rely on public transport to get around town once arrived … but then I can think of very few major cities where I would consider driving around in a car a good idea (actually I might struggle to think of any?). Visiting Rome was no exception. If, like me, you need to know the easiest way to get around Rome, you have come to the right place.
As with so many major cities, visiting Rome can be a costly affair. Starting with accommodation… it is near impossible to find a decent hotel for less than £100 per night if you are looking for something nearish the town center. And in addition you will have to pay a city tax of 6 Euros per person per day for the duration of your stay (and this is not included in your hotel fee when booking). But don’t despair. There are ways to see it all, even if you are visiting Rome on a tight budget.
Doing more than one meeting a week isn’t new. The record here is seven in a week, if I remember rightly, however these were usually done as part of one big tour stretching several days. Going back and forth several times in one week – and actually travelling three countries within that one week – is a novelty… even for me. And not one I am eager to repeat anytime soon I hope.
I am not a big fashionista, but I love to shop. And can do so for hours, given the chance and in the right company. So it might not come as a big surprise that I had to go and explore the shops on offer here in Rome. And put together this handy shopping guide to Rome.
There is no shortage of shops obviously. Handbags, shoes and small leather goods come in plenty. So do the various designers.
If you are travelling to Rome, chances are you will arrive at one of two airports: Fiumicino (or Leonardo International Airport) or Ciampino. And needless to say, neither is right in the center of town, therefore you will need to know how to get from the airport into Rome center.
Despite flying on a very regular basis, somehow I have never had the luxury of flying Club Europe. Well I did fly Club World last time from New York back to London.
But to be honest, I struggle to see the point of spending extra cash for the upgrade to Club Europe on a 1-2 hour short-haul flight within Europe (neither can I see my client voluntarily splashing out for it).
Last week’s travel was a rather lengthy one (being away for a total of six days), although not all (or actually almost none) of it work related.
The original plan was to go home just for the weekend to attend my school reunion (still struggle to get my head around the fact that it is 20 years since we graduated), however as plans changed, so did my travel itinerary. So instead my colleague and I flew out on Tuesday to attend the IAA (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung, aka Frankfurt Motor Show) the day after, courtesy of our German automotive client.
