Travel Diaries

(This is a post the I originally wrote for my college’s blog but I think it’s quite a good subject to put in here as well)

With the upcoming Olympics in 2012 is important to use the advantages that people from London have been given. I’ve heard so much moaning over the past months about how busy London is going to be and how everything is going to fail from the shock of the influx of visitors.

Technorati Tags: 2012, London, Olympics

Each week in this segment I’ll be writing an A to Z of things to do and see in London. Ranging from some of the capitals most interesting museum to music venues and markets!

Charles Dickens House, Borough of Camden, London  -

Where is it:

Dickens home from 1837 to 1839 is situated in Central London, He called it his “House in Town” and he wrote some of his most famous works here including Oliver Twist. The underground stations closest to Dickens House are Russell Square (on the Piccadilly line) or Chancery Lane and Holborn (on the Central Line).

What can you do there:

Dickens house has been turned into a museum. It is renovated to the Victorian style that the house would have had during dickens time there and it holds a number of dickens personal possessions including furniture, painting and rare manuscripts. If you are a fan of Charles Dickens work then this is a must see!

How much does it cost and opening times: 

Adults: £7
Concession: £5
Children: £3 (Under 10′s go free)

Monday to Sundays: 10am to 5pm

Visit this attraction from before April 9th 2012 as they are closing for refurbishments.

Disabled Access: Currently waiting on information on disabled access, bare with me!

Website: http://www.dickensmuseum.com/

Earls Court, Kensington and Chelsea, London -

Where is it:

Earls court is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The closest underground station is Earls Court (on the Piccadilly and District lines), use the back exit from the station as it leads out to the venue. (I’m pretty sure there is sign posting leading you to the back exit)

What can you do there:

Earls court is a venue that is used for Exhibitions, Music Concerts, Shows and it will be used during the Olympics for Volleyball.

Here are some of the events that Earls court is holding this year:

• Doctor Who Experience, 20th - 22nd February. (For those Doctor Who enthusiasts!)
• The Times Destinations Show , 2nd – 5th February.
• The Great British Tattoo show, 20th – 22nd April.
• Ideal Home Show, 16th March – 1st April.

For a more comprehensive list of what’s on in the future have a look here

How much does it cost and opening times:

Costs and Opening times will depend entirely on the event that you are attending. Cost’s for food within Earls Court can get quite expensive so it might be a good idea to bring food with you.

Disabled Access: There is free parking for Blue Badge holders at Earls Court which is on a first come first serve basis. Assistant dogs are allowed within the venue.

Website: http://www.eco.co.uk/

Freud Museum, Hampstead, London -

Where is it:

The Freud Museum is in Hampstead, North London. Closest tube line would be Finchley Road (Jubilee and Metropolitan lines).

What can you do there:

The Freud museum was the home to Freud and his family when they escaped from Austria in the war, it remained within the family until 1982 when Freud’s daughter Anna passed away. The Museum is filled with famous furniture and rare collections of antiques. Freud’s study has been preserved and is just as it was like during his time there. This would be a great visit for those who want to learn more about Freud and his works in the Psychology field.

How much does it cost and opening times:

The museum is open Wednesday until Sunday: 12:00 to 17:00

Adults: £6
Concessions (Students with valid ID cards, children aged 12-16, unemployed persons, disabled persons): £3
Senior Citizens: £4.50
Children under 12 go free.

Disabled Access: There is step free access to the ground floor rooms in the house. There are no lifts within the house so unfortunately access to the top floor may be limited.

Website: http://www.freud.org.uk/

Technorati Tags: Charles Dickens House, Earls Courts, Freud Museum

Travel fear is something that I haven’t come across very often. Having travelled from a young age and never having any bad experiences, travelling for me has been nothing but a mind expanding enjoyable thing. But after a short time at college learning about both package tours and tailor-made holidays it seems that there is a somewhat scary feeling about travelling. There are a few common causes of Travel fear:

Travel Fear #1 – The Fear of the Unknown

Firstly, wading into the unknown is something that people just generally don’t like to do. It’s the fear of change that gets people. Not having all the luxuries and comforts of home can be a huge factor of people’s travelling habits. For example, some people would prefer to travel in their own country so that they still have some kind of safety blanket. They know the language, they can still get hold of their favorite foods and the climate will be very similar. Travelling in your own country is obviously not a bad thing (I’d absolutely love to see more of the UK and have a fantastic time when I do so) but I think a lot of people tend to do this rather than going further afield because of fear.

Travel Fear #2- Economic Fears

Secondly, the economic climate is less than perfect at the moment. It seems like every other week another company ends up down the toilet and this can only further the fear of those who are looking to travel. Substantial amounts of money is spent in the industry every year and people are very worried about where their money is going and what they are getting for it. If you’re going to pay £2000 for your yearly holiday it makes sense to be fairly nervous when spending it.

Travel Fear #3 – The Fear of Technology

For those of us that are nifty with technology, using the internet is an almost faultless (notice I said almost!) way to research, plan and book our holidays. For those who are less technologically inclined or just don’t have access to the web it can be a daunting task! When booking online you are signing contracts whether you actually read the terms of service or not, there’s a lot of jargon that can trip us up along the way and some people still just don’t feeling safe using their bank details online. Even reading that back makes me a little worried!

Travel Fear #4 – Media Perceptions

Lastly but defiantly not least, the media plays a massive part in peoples perceptions. Even one little article in the nightly newspaper or on the news can have a huge detrimental affect on people’s perceptions. Take for example some of the world more popular clubbing destinations. Many of these areas have a huge amount of culture and beauty but are looked over as holiday destinations because they have a stigma attached to them.

If there is one thing that I’ve learned in my 19 years (a long time I know!) it’s that taking chance is something that you should do regardless of how nervous it makes you. If you don’t take a chance on travelling outside your comfort zone, if you don’t take the chance that your holiday might not have been worth all that money, if you don’t attempt to use technology to your advantage and if you don’t try things out for yourself you will be severely missing out. You should have the same opportunities as everyone else so don’t take that away from yourself! Take the plunge..

Whilst milling around twitter and other blogs I came across a post by Wandering Earl which fits in quite nicely with this. He talks about the fear of travelling on your own so go and have a look around there for some more reading!

Do you have a fear about travelling that stops you from reaching your goals?

Technorati Tags: comfort zone, Fear, nervous, Travelling