thetravelingsopha's

Posts

How to Take a Day Trip From London to Lovely Bath

Bath is one of those cities in England that we hear about in all the regency movies and shows. From the iconic Royal Crescent, to the history of Jane Austen and her years living there, to the idyllic honey-colored buildings. These are only a few reasons to take a day trip from London to Bath. The best thing about Bath (in my opinion) is that you can just wander around to find something to do or see. It is a...

Making the Most of 2 Chilly Days: Christmas in Zurich

December might be one of the coldest months to go to Switzerland. However, I wanted to experience the Christmas markets in Zurich, so I bit the bullet and went for 2 days. I planned this trip as a solo adventure, but had a friend ask to join and was more than happy to meet her there! Here are some things we managed to do on this quick trip from London. *NOTE: There may be affiliate links in this post. Thank...

How to Make the Most of a Few Days in Edinburgh

I’ve been to Edinburgh twice now and both times I spent 2-3 days in the city. It really is a great place to visit for a quick weekend getaway to an iconic place in the UK. The first time I took the train up from London, which is about 4 hours or so. The second time I flew from London because it was so much less expensive. It’s about an hour flight. Both trips were a bit different so there...

An Epic Wales Road Trip: Hiking Mount Snowdon and Beyond

Summer 2025 was the first major roadtrip I took with friends in the UK and we had such blast! We drove about 6 hours from London to Northwest Wales to spend an extended weekend hiking and exploring a bit of Wales. It was my last country in the main part of the UK and it did not disappoint. Here’s what we got up to. NOTE: There may be affiliate links in this post. Thank you for supporting my writing! The...

Historic Paris in 48 Hours: A Proven Guide for First-Time Visitors

Paris is a world icon. So on a whim last June, I decided to book a super cute hotel in Paris with points that I had from my credit card. It was a really good deal, so I felt like I couldn’t pass it up. And Paris was somewhere I hadn’t been before! Coming from London, I knew it was something I needed to do my first year living in the UK. Lucky for me, I had a friend who...

How to Best Explore Brussels and Bruges

I’m going to be very honest about something before I even get into this blog post – I didn’t love Brussels. I spent 2 days and 3 nights there with a day trip to Bruges and I really wish I had done the opposite. As a solo female traveler on this trip, I was cat called almost everywhere I went on my own in Brussels. No matter the time of day. It was very strange and made me uncomfortable. Anyways,...

Make the Most of Amsterdam: Canals, Culture, and Cuisine

I finally made it to Amsterdam and was even happier to spend the time with my long-distance friend Betsey (Her Alaska Travels). After living in London for over 6 months, I was definitely overdue for making the quick trip up to the Netherlands. I flew from Luton to Amsterdam for £25 and took the Eurostar back. Here’s how we spent 4 days! NOTE: Some of the links in this blog are affiliate’s, which means I will earn a small commission...

2 Days in Devon: A Quick Trip from London

Devon is the perfect destination away from London to the countryside and the sea. And only a 3.5 hour train ride from London Waterloo to Exeter! I spent £90 on a return trip with the Southwestern Railway, so not bad if you’re looking to get away and avoid the airport. Here is how I would recommend spending 2 full days in Devon. *NOTE: There may be affiliate links in this post* You could honestly do these days flipped if you...

Spend 2 Days by the Sea in Beautiful Marseille

For my first time in France, I decided to book the cheapest flight I could find from London (£35) and go to Marseille. I didn’t research the city before booking, but I can say I was not disappointed at all in my decision! It ended up working out perfectly to meet my friend, Madi. She’s from the US, but traveling around Europe for the next few months. Here’s what we got up to – and as always, things I do...

Krakow, Poland: How to Spend a 2 Day City Break From London

I am super excited to be writing my first city break trip from London, which I took to Krakow, Poland. It was a quick 2 days, but I don’t think you need much more than that to get a good feel for this historical city. For those who don’t know, I am a US expat living in London while I work as a pediatric nurse for at least 2 years. I am working to visit as many European cities as...