uk

on the fringe: day trip to edinburgh

/ travelingdocs / 2 Comments

img_4410-e1524366892323.jpg

Edinburgh is the perfect city for a day trip/long layover…especially during the month of August, when the city celebrates its nearly month-long creative arts and entertainment based Fringe Festival.

Even if you’re not visiting for the Fringe benefits (see what I did there?), it’s manageable, transit is well planned and there’s a lot to see and do in a small area.  For being a smaller capital city, Edinburgh’s history is just so rich and jam packed with notable figures and events.  Just don’t be like me and not realize that they use British pounds instead of Euros.  Doh.

Tartan up!

Continue reading →

know before you go: London Gatwick (LGW)

/ travelingdocs / Leave a comment

IMG_5266.jpeg

London Gatwick may be my favorite airport in London (only because Heathrow is the LAX of London.  Sure, no American carriers are there, but it’s quaint and manageable. Even though it’s a smaller scale, it still has tons of amenities.  A sizeable Harrod’s!  A lot of seating! A Nandos, which is HUGE!

It’s located about 30 miles south of central London, but the Gatwick express will get you there from Victoria station in a jiffy (for about £20).

There are two terminals, North and South that are connected pre-security by a people mover.  There’s 115 gates split amongst both terminals.  North serves EasyJet, Air Canada, Emirates, Virgin, West Jet and Icelandair.  South serves British Airways, and everyone else (Norwegian, Cathay Pacific, Aer Lingus, etc).

Remember: ✈️ = london fog to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = london calling

Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️ (Gatwick express is speedy, but spendy. i got to the train early and still didn’t have a seat either)

Security: ✈️ (if you print your boarding pass there, be forewarned, it probably won’t work too well in the self-check first security gate)

Dining: ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ (5 planes for Nandos.  I love Nandos, and the fact that they serve their take away in containers making it easy to eat on the go is SO convenient –sorry seat mates on plane, I’m eating my pitta. There’s also Starbucks, Jamie Oliver Italian, wagamama, and wetherspoon)

Bathrooms: ✈️✈️✈️  (for some reason, never encountered a line)

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️ (free wifi available, fair amount of charging)

Amenities:✈️✈️✈️✈️ (a bunch of lounges, British Airways and Virgin especially; Harrod’s, multi-faith prayer rooms, on site hotels and conference centers)

know before you go: Edinburgh (EDI)

/ travelingdocs / Leave a comment
IMG_4240.jpeg

not sure what the reverse man hole cover is

Great Scott!  There’s no flying Deloreans, but plenty of planes.  Edinburgh (EDI) is a pretty cool little airport.  I mean, it kind of looks like a weird face from above or at least a pair of goggles, so that’s something.

For being a smaller airport, it’s the largest in Scotland and the 6th largest in passenger volume in the UK.  Not too shabby.  With many low cost carriers like WOW and RyanAir offering flights, I’m sure it’ll only get more popular with time.

There’s only one terminal and about 25 gates, so it’s easy to manage.  The best thing about it is that the exit is just steps from the Edinburgh tram stop, the most convenient way to get into the city (takes about 30-35 minutes).  This was HUGE when I had a long layover here — I just bought a return ticket and got to see all of Edinburgh in a few hours.

Remember: ✈️ = duke of edinburgh the crown season 2 to ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ = duke of edinburgh season 1 (very specific example, I know)

Convenience to the city: ✈️✈️✈️ (the tram is a godsend)

Ease of navigating through terminals: ✈️✈️✈️ (there’s only one)

Convenience of check in/security lines: ✈️✈️✈️ (was pretty quick)

Dining: ✈️✈️  (not much, there’s a Costa coffee and Starbucks before security and a Krispy Kreme and M&S after)

Bathrooms: ✈️✈️  (could use a little updating)

Charging stations/wifi: ✈️✈️✈️ (free wifi available–tons of charging at Starbucks)

Amenities: ✈️✈️  (a few souvenir shops, Michael Kors, Aerospa, Superdrug)