In September 2017, I got to scratch off an item off my bucket list - to travel to Europe! It wasn't just any trip to Europe, but it was my Graduation Trip & Present. This was not an easy trip to plan. It took us 6 months to book all our tickets (for cheaper rates) and also to plan our itinerary. We traveled to 7 different countries in the span of 3.5 weeks and relied mostly on Google to search for all the information we needed prior to the trip. If you would like to have a copy of my itinerary, drop me an e-mail at melissakttan95@gmail.com and I would gladly share it with you. 

Here's my story

London, UK

September 2017

Departed from Ipoh at 2pm on a Wednesday, I was feeling all sorts of emotions. Mostly, I was excited yet so surreal that I was going to fly to the other side of the world (like for real), and worried because it was going to be a 13 hour flight (longest flight I have taken to date). But above them all, London could not come sooner!

Dawn in London from above

We flew with Singapore Airlines to and fro London, and we were lucky enough to have gotten return tickets for only RM2.3k each. The entire experience was amazing - was spoilt for choices on movies, and food was great. We took a overnight flight to London (with a short transit in Singapore), so I slept the entire way there. And when I woke up, we were just 2 hours away from London!

Arriving at 6am, we first made our way to the washroom to freshen up, and also to change our clothes before starting our day! I wasn't feeling too tired because I manage to get some sleep on the plane, and technically it was 1pm back in Malaysia. Jet lag was really bad on the first few days, but we got adjusted to it pretty quickly.  

First call of business - Oyster Card. Follow the signages around that leads you to "Underground" where you will be able to see the ticketing machines. Also, do remember to take a piece (or a few) of the Underground map which should be placed above the ticketing machine. It came in pretty handy for me! When leaving London, remember to get refunds on the balance credit in your card. #TravelTips

We first met up with Faye, whom was kind enough to help us store our luggages at her office while we roam around London for the day. We stayed with her for that few days we were in London, she even cooked a few meals for us and has the coziest little house which I liked very much! 

First stop, Tower Bridge.

(took the Underground, and exited at London Bridge station. Upon exiting the station, you will be guided with signages)

The very moment I saw it, I was in disbelieve that I was actually there, Tower Bridge right before my eyes. It then hit me and I told my sister, "Oh my God, I'm in London! Like actually here!".

As we walked around the place, I found this little corner which was an opportunity for a nice photo. We first tested it out with each other before approaching a stranger to help us with a photo. Right after that, the corner became a hot spot as every one else started taking turns for photos there with the Tower Bridge. #proudmoment

It was then about time for lunch, and we spotted a Tesco Extra near the Tower Bridge. We got ourselves some pasta and drinks (which cost us about £3 each), and then made our way to Hyde Park for a little 'picnic on the bench'. #BudgetTravelTips

(Nearest Underground stations to Hyde Park: Knightsbridge, Lancaster Gate, Marble Arch)

After hanging around the place for a little bit, we then started walking towards Buckingham Palace. Throughout this entire trip, we walked and took the public transport A LOT because we wanted to minimize our expenses. #BudgetTravelTips And hey, I thought I came back to Malaysia a little leaner, which I've already gained all of that back 🌚

Buckingham Palace

At that moment, everything still feels super surreal to me. It's like seeing all these iconic buildings and architecture only from movies since I can remember, and now bam! 

We then took a slow walk towards Big Ben. Being in a different country, walking doesn't seem much of a hassle at all because everything around us was amazing and the culture is so different!

We both didn't had any mobile data with us (because it's so expensive), prior to the trip we marked all the potential locations onto this offline map called maps.me and we relied on it to navigate around pretty much all the time. #BudgetTravelTips  

Halfway through our walk towards Big Ben, we came across Westminster Abbey.

The iconic London Eye

Shortly after that, it started to drizzle and we quickly made our way to Oxford Street for some shopping (and shelter), but mainly shopping. I've been wanting to get a leather jacket since forever and thinking that it's going to be cold when I visit Europe, when else would be a better time to get one. Lucky enough that my sister suggested for me to only get it when I get to London because it's so so much cheaper - RM200+ vs £14. #BudgetTravelTips

(Underground stations along Oxford Street: Bond Street, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus & Tottenham Court Road)

We then met up with Faye, and went over to her home which was about an hour away from London city. She cooked us dinner and we had an early bedtime because I was struggling to stay awake then. 

The second day was spent entirely in Warner Bros. Studio The Making of Harry Potter, which I will do a separate post for it. 

On our third day in London, we spent the entire day hanging out with my sister's friends whom she met while she was traveling few years back. As traveling took a bit of our time, our day pretty much started with a picnic lunch at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and then at Roof East.

Roof East is pretty much like Helipad in Malaysia, but only way way cooler and nicer. Our time there started with roller skating, and then we moved on for some Lawn Bowling. The place offers also some other activities including an open air cinema and lots of food vendors complete with proper tables and chairs. More visuals in the vlog at the end of this post!

It was a really fun day out doing what locals do there on their chill days, including running for a train that was leaving in a minute! A totally different and eye-opening experience besides doing the typical tourist sight seeing.