The city of London is one of the most well-known and popular destination on earth. As the capital city, London is often referred to as the capital of the world, and in fact has the largest population of any urban area in Western Europe. Visitors will find countless fantastic attractions in the city, from world-class museums and art galleries to historical landmarks like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Tower and Bridge of London. Two of the most popular attractions in the city are the London Eye and Trafalgar Square. The following is an introduction to these two attractions.

The London Eye

This giant wheel is an impressive structure that dominates the skyline of England’s capital city. Due to a recent sponsorship deal, the official title has changed from the British Airways London Eye to the EDF Energy London Eye. It stands at 443 feet tall, and is located along the Thames River. As the tallest ferris wheel in the Europe, and the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel, it should come as no surprise that it the most visited paid tourist attraction in the entire country of England.

Each year, well over 3 million visitors take a trip on the London Eye and climb into one of the 32 glass domes, many of which have tour included within their London holiday packages. Each domed pod holds up to 25 people, who can sit or stand during the 30 minute revolution. The speed is quite slow, meaning anyone can ride it and few people complain of motion sickness or discomfort. Since the opening of the London Eye in 2000, it has become an icon in the city of London. For significant national occasions, the wheel is outfitted with stunning lights in themed colors. Recently, it donned patriotic colors to resemble the Union Jack for the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, and in 2012 it will be outfitted with the Olympic rings.

Trafalgar Square

This public space is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city of London. Created in the 19th century, it was designed to be a public area that was a central focus of culture and politics in the city. Indeed, it has served that purpose for decades. The focal point of Trafalgar Square is the Nelson’s Column, which dominates the look of the area. The column stands at 169 feet in height, and was created to in honor of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died during the Battle of Trafalgar. At the four corners of the base of the column are lion statues, who are meant to guard the column constantly. Until the last decade, the square was known for the massive population of pigeons who called the square home, thanks to millions of tourists who fed them. Those were eventually removed and feeding made illegal, and today it is more commonly used for political demonstrations, screening sports events, and holiday celebrations like Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Photo by: Thamer Al-Hassan

Eventually, however, the fires will be put out, the windows repaired, the shops re-stocked with merchandise, and – hopefully – the hoodlums appropriately punished. And although it may not look like that will happen anytime soon when you’re watching the BBC right now, London especially has an enormous incentive to make quick work of the cleanup – the city will increasingly be in the spotlight between now and next summer’s Olympics.

If you’ve got a trip to London planned in the near future, it may be smart to keep track of the news to see if you might want to postpone your trip. It’s not as if London or England as a whole is a dangerous place to be, but if you can avoid being around this kind of unpredictable violence that’s probably smart. If you’re visiting a few months from now or planning a trip to see the Olympics, however, it’s likely you’ll see very little of the damage visible on the city streets right now.

London and the rest of England will want to put this behind them as soon as possible, and that includes bringing tourists back. For those future trips you’re thinking about, here are some travel tips you might find useful:

• Budget Hotels in London
• London Travel Pass
• Tips on Using the Tube in London

In the meantime, keep up with what’s going on in London and throughout the country by checking the following sites for reports:

• BBC News
• Telegraph
• Al Jazeera English

In the years before 1879, the streets of Blackpool were graced with mere gas light, but that year everything changed, for the Blackpool Illuminations began as an experiment in the use of electricity to power street lighting. On the 19th of September, 16 Robey engines were put into use for powering eight dynamo-electric machines that lit eight arc lamps spaced out along the Promenade. Somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 visitors came to see what was then called ‘artificial sunshine’ and it is widely believed these simple arc lamps were the world’s first electric street lights.

It was a huge success that continued to grow year upon year with special events and Royal visits taking place in Blackpool that encouraged the use of more than 10,000 lights until the spectacle reached its present day length of a little under six dazzling miles along the Promenade. There are various themes spread throughout the route and so complex are the designs that it now takes 45 staff members an entire year to ensure that all the lights are ready and the displays are fully functional. So vast is the amount of equipment required that it is estimated at a value of more than £10 million! 

Switched on every year at the end of the Summer Season, the Illuminations light up Blackpool for 66 consecutive nights and those who are chosen to press the (now famous) button to switch it all on, consider it a great privilege. Each year the identity of the lucky person is kept tightly under wraps to make it even more exciting, though it is often a prominent celebrity.

The Switch On date for 2011 is September 2nd and as tickets are required for that particular night, Blackpool hotels will fill up fast, so some forward planning would definitely be required to avoid disappointment.

Photo by: paul stevenson

Then, travel to Salisbury. If you want to see the English country side, either choose the train, by bus or rent a car. Make sure to book one of the cheap hotels in Salisbury ahead of time. Its proximity to Stonehenge makes it a popular town and therefore not the cheapest alternative if you are after a hotel. But B&Bs are great choices as well and they offer good facilities at lower rates. Plan to spend at least half a day in the city and don’t forge to visit the Cathedral

Now it’s time to visit Stonehenge, the well-known Neolithic and Bronze Age stone monument. To get here, take the tour bus from Salisbury (the ticket is £18). Once there, choose one of the walking tours.

From Stonehenge, get back to Salisbury and then travel to Dorchester either by bus or by rental car. From here, drive to Tyneham, one of the famous European ghost towns . It is not open for the public all the time, so make sure you do your homework and know when the Lulworth Military Range is open for the public. You can spend at least half a day here but make sure you stick to the pathways.

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Many music fans are familiar with some of the best summer outdoor festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits in the US, but England has been home to the popular Glastonbury Festival since 1970. It’s not only the world’s biggest outdoor music festival, it’s also a combination of music and performing arts in a town that’s famous for being a spiritual destination. In other words, even if you’re not the kind of music aficionado who’d fly across the ocean for a festival, this is a festival that’s more of an event than just a concert.

Glastonbury is located in southwest England, and although the closest airport to the festival site is in Bristol it’s more likely that you’ll fly into London first. You can then choose to hop a short flight to Bristol, but even if you get as far as Bristol by plane you’ll still need to take a train or bus from London out to Glastonbury and the festival site.

There are coaches that run from London Heathrow or Bristol Airport directly to the festival itself, and coaches that connect the festival with other non-airport destinations (including area train stations). Find out all your options for getting to the Glastonbury Festival so you can see which one is best for you.

Going to the Glastonbury Festival in late June can be a great start to a longer trip through southwest England or Wales, or it can just be a long weekend getaway. Either way, it’s a great reason to plan a holiday.

photo by bobaliciouslondon

Zooming in on Sheffield to remind myself where it is in relation to York, I immediately saw Blackburn, Blackpool, Wigan, Bolton, Hull, Scunthorpe – and of course Manchester and Liverpool. The more I looked at the map of England, the more it looked like a big list of English football clubs. And that’s when it hit me – it’s been far too long since I’ve been to England.

Now, as much as I’d like to travel to the Champions League final (no matter who’s playing, but also – let’s be frank – to see Lionel Messi), I know that’s not going to happen this year. Flights to London Heathrow are routinely too expensive from my West Coast home, and I haven’t planned far enough in advance to combine one of the cheap fares from NY-London with some of the cheap flights to New York that occasionally come up for my local airport.

Not only that, I’m quite certain that all the budget hotels in London have been booked solid for ages in anticipation of a great Champions League final – and hotels near Heathrow are nowhere near close enough to the city or Wembley to make them reasonable options.

While I’d like to get back to England during the football season and catch a few games, the more important piece of business is catching up with old friends. The fact that my first thought when seeing Nottingham on the map was of Nottingham Forest and not the friends I made when I studied in that city is enough evidence to me that it’s time for a return trip.

photo by deBurca

If you are a UK resident (or a resident of several other countries, including the US, Canada, France ,Germany, or Italy) and are between 18 and 30 years old at the time of your application, you can secure an Australian working holiday visa.  The working visa allows you to stay in Oz for up to 12 months (though your employer can help you stay for an additional four years after that) and be taxed on your income at a rate of 29%.  The visa can cost as little as  £229 and you can apply online and get a response in as little as 48 hours.

You’ll need to arrange your own flights to Australia but many visa services include airport pickup and your first two nights in Sydney, so you’ll have a bit of help getting started. After that though, you’ll be on your own for lodging and looking for work. Luckily, when it comes to where to spend your Australia working holiday, you’ll have no shortage of options. While many people opt to stay in Sydney or Melbourne and take on work in the service industry, there are many other options. You can help with the grape harvest in the Barossa Valley, work at a ski resort in the Snowy Mountains, or work on a cattle ranch in the Outback. NO matter what your interest or skill set, you can find work in a beautiful area of Australia.

Photo by Travis_Simon

Though the fighting of World War II took place all over Western Europe, for those with a keen interest in the war, England is a perfect base for seeing many of the most important sights. There are nearly a dozen important World War II sights in England and France so if you can stretch your trip to both countries with a eurail pass, you can see even more.

Check out the Churchill War Rooms in London and the sober Battle of Britain Memorial in Kent and then head over to France for a trip to the battle-scarred beaches of Normandy and the small town of Sainte-Mère-Église, where it is said that a soldier’s parachute became hooked on the town church, and he survived the battle by hanging there pretending to be dead as the fighting went on below.

Once you’ve had your fill of history for the trip, take in some of the more lighthearted activities in the area. There are plenty of things to do in Normandy, for example. Visit the beautiful Mont St. Michel, tour Monet’s gardens, and make your way along the cider route. Though the ugly past of World War II still haunts much of England and France, the present couldn’t be more beautiful.

Photo by: heatheronhertravels

Spain sounds divine and honesty, I don’t exactly need too many reasons to pack and go. And I’m sure you don’t need either, but just in case… For example, if you know how to cook Spanish dishes, enjoying the best paella in Spain while soaking up the sun is a treat. You’ll soon realize that nothing tastes better than in the country it was invented!

You can also consider one of the many Spanish cooking classes . After all, I know I need to learn quite a lot of tricks which don’t come with the (too many) cooking books I have.

Need more reasons to visit Spain? How about heading to Costa de la Luz and then explore the region at your pace. You can even take the ferry (35 minutes) to Tangier (Morocco). If you decide to stay in the region, then Baelo Claudia – famous for the Roman ruins – or Cadiz – Europe’s oldest city – are excellent choices for your vacation.

When it comes to budgeting, first you need to choose the airport you’ll be flying into. Jerez, Seville and Malaga are close to the region; the both Seville and Malaga are served by a lot of low cost carrier. For example, a RT flight from London into Seville in early April starts at £50 per person (on Ryanair); while a flight into Malaga for the same travel period costs the same (on easyJet). Once in Spain, consider renting a car. But using the trains and buses are good choices as well.

Photo credit

But there are other options. In fact, there is a whole host of unusual places to stay in Europe, from convents and cave hotels to prisons, castles and mountains huts. You can stay on a farm, in an igloo, in a barn, and on a boat. If that last one piqued your interest, check out the narrowboats in London.

London’s narrowboats are generally about 7 feet wide, made to fit the narrow canals of England. You can rent one for a weekend or longer and pilot your way through the many canals in the London area. Stay in one spot for the whole trip or travel around, stick close to London or venture father afield – the choice is up to you. Prices range according to the length of the rental, the size of the boat and the season in which you’ll be traveling. Of course, the more popular the season (summer) and the more people with whom you’ll be sharing the boat, the more expensive the rental will be. But if you come in off season, you can score a boat that sleeps 2-4 people for as little as 200 pounds per night.

Booking in off season can help you save big. Even if you book a boat that sleeps seven people in shoulder season (May and October) you’ll pay less than 80 pounds per person, per night; it’s more than a hostel, but comparable to the cost of many hotels, and you can save money by cooking your own meals on the boat. Plus, since the boat also serves as your transport, you’ll save on the cost of a car rental or train tickets if you plan to explore outside of London. That actually makes a narrowboat stay one of the better London travel deals available.

Photo by James K Thorpe