Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting London for my first time ever. I'll be honest with you and tell you that I didn't do much research when it came to visiting London. I knew the general information of what to see- Big Ben, London Bridge, Harrods and the Eye, but other than that I was completely clueless. So, if you'r'e like myself and would like some simple tips on how to survive in London (on a budget) while seeing everything humanly possible in a short amount of time get ready. Here is your survival guide to London: 

1) The city is widely accessible via foot. Though I would recommend getting an Oyster card (which you can only access at the tube station, and not the bus), much of London can be seen by walking. Once you are in the center of town you will notice that many of the monuments are fairly close to one another. For example the eye and Big Ben and are in distance from one another. 

2) Take a free walking tour. A tour for free? Say it ain't so? This is a great way to get an insiders view of London without paying the big bucks. There are many different tours including a Harry Potter theme, Soho (my personal favorite), and of course the Beatles. Tours range from 2-3 hours and you pay what you believe is the fair price at the end of the tour. 

3) Take the bus. Sometimes you have to be stereotypical and embrace it all. Eat fish and chips and go on a red bus because hey, you're in London so why not?

4) Have an exit strategy for getting out of Harrods. Trust me, you'll need it. 

5) Kings Cross station is a total disappointment. Harry Potter was actually filmed in the train station across the street from Kings Cross so get ready to be saddened when you enter into the train station to modern day architecture. To make matters worse, the beloved picture that you see of friends at platform 9 3/4 takes an average of 30 minutes to an hour just for something to prove that you were at Kings Cross. No thank you. 

6) Most night clubs (if not all) have an entry average of 10 pounds. 

7) Curry is as great as you would imagine it being in London. 

8) Realize that with big cities it's nearly impossible to see every site regardless of how long you are staying. Its okay. Breathe and know take in every moment possible in this fantastic city. 

Until next time,