https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/105-places daily 0.75 2026-05-30 https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/105-places/london-uk monthly 0.5 2026-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/febf6adb-a66f-4db0-9eda-e0bea1bd8f71/Citymapper_JR_London.png 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Citymapper App Citymapper is a free app and it's the difference between navigating London with confidence and standing in the middle of a busy station staring at the Tube map trying to figure out which platform you need. It tells you which line, which direction, how many stops, which exit to use, and which carriage to board so you're already in position when you arrive. It will also tell you whether the Tube, bus, taxi, or just walking is the smarter call for any given journey. Download it at home while you're on WiFi so it's ready before you land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/143036de-77ac-496f-a8ba-51d0f53f725d/visitor-oyster-card-cut-out_rdax_400x250.gif 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Get a Visitor Oyster Card. A prepaid smart card designed for tourists that works across all Transport for London services — Tube, bus, DLR, Elizabeth Line, London Overground, and most National Rail services within London. No foreign transaction fees, guaranteed acceptance, and it comes with discounts at a handful of London attractions. The practical downside: as of September 2025, the activation fee is £10 and is non-refundable. Order it in advance through the TfL Visitor Shop before you travel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1780174151530-7VXAK06L3NS2908ELQ4N/GettyImages-2173798087.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/c5200999-18c7-4fef-bbc8-6f082efb96fb/IMG_2669.jpeg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Afternoon Tea at Botanica Afternoon tea has a longer history than most people realize. It was invented around 1840 by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who found herself hungry between lunch and dinner and started requesting tea and snacks to be sent to her room in the afternoon. What started as a personal solution to a mid-afternoon problem became a national ritual. The British drink around 100 million cups of tea a day as a nation — and an afternoon at Botanica makes that number easy to believe. The spread comes out on a tiered stand: finger sandwiches on the bottom, freshly baked scones in the middle, pastries and sweets on top. The tea selection leans into the botanical theme, with house-infused blends alongside the classics. And we have to ask: cream first or jam first on your scone? Devon says cream first, Cornwall says jam first, and the debate has been running for centuries with no sign of resolution. The clotted cream is essentially a rich, dense butter. Drop your answer in the comments — we're genuinely curious where people land on this one. Book in advance whether you're staying at the hotel or just visiting. They're accommodating about timing — we'd booked for later in the afternoon and they got us in earlier without any issue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/f02d64d1-01ac-4374-a939-84e55918affb/IMG_0268.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1780172648364-YT88JVLGL2UHI318FI0O/unsplash-image-BDopH1gn4VU.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Big Ben and the Red Telephone Box Continuing along King Charles Street and through the gate onto Parliament Street, you'll start seeing the red telephone boxes that have become one of Britain's most recognized symbols. The classic K2 design was created by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1926 — at their peak there were over 70,000 of them across the country. Most have been decommissioned and given new lives as free community libraries, coffee kiosks, and defibrillator stations. You'll spot them all over London throughout the trip, but this stretch near Parliament puts you directly in front of one with Westminster as the backdrop. Around the corner, Westminster Abbey and the Elizabeth Tower come into view together — and it lands differently in person than in photos, every time. What most people call Big Ben is the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Big Ben is technically the 13-tonne bell housed inside it. The tower stands 96 meters tall with clock faces 7 meters in diameter and minute hands over 4 meters long, and it has been keeping time since 1859. The Houses of Parliament stretch out alongside it, and the Thames runs just beyond. It's one of those views that earns its place on every list. Pickpocket Warning: Westminster is one of the most heavily pickpocketed areas in London. Bag to the front, zipped up. The crowds around the telephone boxes and the Elizabeth Tower are exactly the kind of cover that makes this a working spot for pickpockets. Keep your head up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/99ca55c4-33e0-41d2-bac7-cb021b9701ea/IMG_1929.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/d91b8150-b388-4376-bdff-020c26763853/IMG_2015.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - THE TOWER OF LONDON Tip: Buy your tickets online before the trip. Walk-up queues run long and timed entry slots sell out on busy days. Get there 15 to 30 minutes before opening, coffee in hand, and be ready to move when the gates open. The first 30 minutes set up the rest of the visit. Over a thousand years of history in a single complex. Founded by William the Conqueror in 1066, the Tower of London has been a royal palace, political prison, royal mint, menagerie, armoury, and the permanent home of the Crown Jewels. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it delivers in a way that justifies every word written about it. One honest note: while we were in the queue at the front gate, waiting for opening time, the camera went down. Before we even got through the door. We survived. It got considerably better from there. Watch the Video Blooper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/733090b1-752d-4bde-9b20-c902c5cb6a11/unsplash-image-ac1idUMzvLQ.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/566c9fb3-518d-4d73-b086-bac52de0d700/IMG_2694.jpeg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - St Dunstan in the East A short walk from the café brings you to one of the best-kept secrets in the whole city. St Dunstan in the East is a medieval church with a complicated history: badly damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, then bombed out again during the Blitz. Rather than rebuild it a second time, the City of London turned the ruins into a public garden in the 1960s. What that decision produced, over the decades that followed, is extraordinary. Ivy and climbing plants have grown up through the old stone walls until the walls themselves have largely disappeared behind green. Trees grow through what used to be the nave, their canopies reaching where the roof once was. The original tower and a number of the stone window frames are still standing, and they frame the garden in a way that makes the whole place feel like it belongs somewhere other than central London. It's free, always open, and the majority of people walking past on the surrounding streets have no idea it's there. Don't walk past it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/85e954ee-7011-4e04-96ed-6bbf0d794cfa/unsplash-image-1z_kYKN3eDw.jpg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/3e9da2f5-33d4-4aa3-a461-e57046900af0/IMG_0352.jpeg 105 Places - LONDON, UK - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/105-places/palma-spain monthly 0.5 2026-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/cd3d9581-4995-40d7-93c6-f092fe68effd/20211018_105045.jpg 105 Places - PALMA, SPAIN - Make it stand out View from the rooftop of Le Seu, Palma, Spain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/f3d96750-238f-4ed6-af83-0b1488131708/20211018_113803.jpg 105 Places - PALMA, SPAIN - Make it stand out Rod’s favorite meal. Manchego cheese, Ibiza ham, green olives, fresh bread and an espresso. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/e88f105c-b4de-4dc0-a2d4-174808277f5e/20211018_141044.jpg 105 Places - PALMA, SPAIN - Make it stand out Hop on Hop Off Bus https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/105-places/barcelona monthly 0.5 2026-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/7da1abef-04d7-462c-b9d7-518d02ea4b8c/IMG_2542.jpeg 105 Places - BARCELONA, SPAIN - Make it stand out Melody comparing shoes before a trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/6114280c-04d1-46a9-b211-4627fe52c81d/Sling 105 Places - BARCELONA, SPAIN - Make it stand out Travelon Anti-Theft Classic Sling https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778527061805-DR4TXUI2ZGH8DUXGXSW1/unsplash-image-go3DT3PpIw4.jpg 105 Places - BARCELONA, SPAIN - Make it stand out Rod’s favorite: Bocadillo sandwich - Ham and Cheese https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778526290339-2T8JWWMZMZYWT77Z430I/unsplash-image-H7E7SyNqiiQ.jpg 105 Places - 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ROYAL UP - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/triptips/tag/Royal+Up monthly 0.5 https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/triptips/tag/Freedom+of+the+Seas monthly 0.5 https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/rods-reads daily 0.75 2026-05-30 https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/rods-reads/the-last-mandarin monthly 0.5 2026-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/b7a5efc0-4c7b-4ea1-a76c-ce03d52109f7/Moser+Group+Logos+and+Name+Logos+%282%29.png Rod's Reads - THE Last Mandarin - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/608c7a88-01e9-466c-bab1-72c8796a73d0/Last+Mandarin.jpeg Rod's Reads - THE Last Mandarin - Make it stand out Buy on Amazon https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/home daily 1.0 2026-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778358898457-W2AMPTF7W10HI4M2FL5K/unsplash-image-iP8ElEhqHeY.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778359588049-AJBOCR8NV11AX8O0CT6E/unsplash-image-s3BLxJ7_FvU.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778528841348-E8NI9ETADJC816RRPVTX/barcelona-spain-2026-03-24-14-09-53-utc.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778359765609-JYAOSS0WC84KS1WKM6WO/unsplash-image-3rkosR_Dgfg.jpg https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/about-us daily 0.75 2026-05-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/5476324d-f03e-4465-a179-2fc0acb5ed08/IMG_0854.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/2ce5eb9c-2742-4d03-a5ec-fde34e939a37/IMG_0706.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/9ae2d52f-5643-46fc-8650-b76e9ba9d750/IMG_0963.jpeg https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/stay-connected daily 0.75 2026-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1778370845140-101F805Z0GFFM3VWK1U4/unsplash-image-rknrvCrfS1k.jpg https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/partners daily 0.75 2026-05-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/6114280c-04d1-46a9-b211-4627fe52c81d/sling.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1b3dd662-ccb7-47ee-8ad7-9d724f2c8632/Soundstripe+Emblem+-+Black.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/626a3f7b-1225-4418-9a60-0e0805a98a22/vidIQ+Badge.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/324551cd-2369-4c27-8900-a77cbda0fd88/IMG_2026.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69ff76e73919990a72b6cd9b/1780163099124-98LH3WUO6JSBS7SVGSWT/unsplash-image-A-NVHPka9Rk.jpg https://www.alwaysbevacationing.com/store daily 0.75 58381-02-20