The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
Editor's Note: While going through old notes I took on our last trip to England in May 2012, I found a bunch of observations that got lost in the shuffle and buried at the bottom of my note program. I thought it would be fun to put them together into one post. So, while the topic is a little dated, the information is timeless. We're a little … [Read more...]
It's been about month since I went public with my plans train for and then walk the length of Hadrian's Wall in September 2014. I was immediately overwhelmed by all the messages of support and encouragement. Much has happened since I initially made the announcement so I thought it would be fun to put together an update for everyone who is following … [Read more...]
About this Episode: In this episode of Travels in Britain, we explore the stunning Georgian City of Bath, steeped in history and culture. Join us as we explore Bath Abbey, take a walk on the Bizarre Bath Tour, enjoy the Roman Baths, take a cruise on the River Avon, visit the Jane Austen Centre and much more. Useful Links: Bath Abbey Abbey … [Read more...]
Two small annoucements we wanted to let everyone know about today. We now offer FREE SHIPPING on all of our guidebooks for sale in the Anglotopia Store. That's right - when you order any of our guidebooks, you only pay for the book and we'll mail it to you for FREE (USA and Canada only). We've also gotten a lot of requests to combine our two … [Read more...]
We had another good night's rest at the Abbey Rise and we got an earlier start than we had on previous days. We took in breakfast at the B&B, again expertly prepared by Ms. Dewhurst. We had a few attractions that we wanted to make sure we saw and planned to end our day with a visit to the Bath Postal Museum (I'm a postal nut, believe it or … [Read more...]
Editor's Note: We got a little behind on writing our trip diaries but we're back at it now and we're going to share our visit to Bath this week. When we last left you guys, we had just arrived in Bath for a 3 day visit and had experienced the fun Bizarre Bath tour for the evening. When we awoke the next day after a late night, we were all … [Read more...]
When it comes to traveling with a toddler, the forethought and planning can exhaust you before you even book your tickets. Most people told us not to even bother traveling with our fifteen month old son and honestly, there were times during our travels when we agreed. However, as a whole, traveling with a toddler wasn't too bad once we got the hang … [Read more...]
We really enjoyed our time in the Cotswolds and our stay at the Old Swan in Minster Mill Hotel and it broke our hearts to have to leave after such a lovely stay but our itinerary was merciless and it was time to move on to the next destination we were really excited about visiting: Bath. But first, we had a few more stops before we got … [Read more...]
We awoke after a restful night's sleep. I woke up before everyone else and took the opportunity to sneak out and explore the grounds of the hotel before everyone else woke up. The grounds surrounding the Old Swan and Minster Mill Hotel are simply beautiful. The inn that the hotel was converted from dates back to 1445 and the place oozes history … [Read more...]
We all awoke well rested despite our 2am trip to Tesco, though we did wake a little later than we would have liked. With a packed itinerary, any time lost sleeping was one more thing we couldn't do that day. We had a great send off from the Oxford Hotel. As part of your stay, they provided a delicious hot breakfast buffet with more than you can … [Read more...]
It had been just over a year since I'd been to Britain for the Royal Wedding and it had seemed like a million years ago. I couldn't wait to be back again. This time, I wouldn't be going alone. My wife would be joining me as well as our 15 month old son. Cue the 'You took a 15 month old to Britain? On an airplane? You brave soul.' It actually … [Read more...]
It was really the icing on the cake of a fantastic weekend. Here's a short video of the various flypasts that took place today as well as the crowd singing a spirited rendition of God Save the Queen. … [Read more...]
We've hinted about it on our Facebook page and we've been planning it for over a year and now it's time to reveal the details of our upcoming trip to England to cover the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. This will be our longest trip to England yet - at almost 3 weeks - and it's something that only Anglotopia has been able to make happen. We're so … [Read more...]
A couple of months ago, I visited London during the Royal Wedding week (yeah, I know, we didn't mention it in the least at the time, did we?) Since I got back I have been horribly remiss on writing about everything I did because I moved to a new city and took on two new jobs in the weeks surrounding the trip. But I can't let the opportunity pass to … [Read more...]
If you're traveling to London, one of the best ways to make your trip easier is to buy an Oyster Card. For those that don't know, an Oyster Card is an electronic card that allows you to travel freely on the Tube without having to pay for tickets indivdually. Why bother with getting the card when you can just buy tickets at the station? Well, … [Read more...]
If you've been following the site for a while, you'll know that I'm a British Airways fanboy - I've only ever flown BA to London from Chicago and that's the way I intend to keep it. Some people may have had different experiences with them - but I've always had a good experience and there's no better way to prepare for footfall in Britain than to … [Read more...]
One of the biggest problems travelers have in Britain is staying connected while in London. London is a huge city, but free WiFi is sometimes very hard to find, and it's impractical to buy a cell phone while there unless you're going to make many trips. Tep Wireless is a great service that allows you to rent a phone while in London as well as … [Read more...]
After I booked my tickets with British Airways for my Royal Wedding trip, the next task to deal with was finding the right place to stay in London. Usually, I'm after the cheapest place to stay, but in London that usually turns out to be rather expensive. I've a big fan of the EasyHotel chain. They're inexpensive rooms that offer just the … [Read more...]
After a restful full night's sleep, I woke up early in the morning. I had two major events on the radar for the day: make an appearance on BBC Breakfast, and then head off to Chartwell to visit Churchill's home. As I wrote about yesterday, I had originally been scheduled to appear on BBC Breakfast (our equivalent to Good Morning America) during … [Read more...]
I rose early at about 5 am. The morning was going to be busy. I'd opted not to sleep on the Mall, mostly because I'm a lightweight, but also because I'd been scheduled for two interviews with the BBC at around 6 am. I wasn't going to be able to get a spot on the Mall until those were over. I quickly ate breakfast, got dressed, packed up … [Read more...]
I woke up in London bright and early. There was much to do the day before the Royal Wedding. I had a lot on the schedule, and I needed an early start to make it happen. I had to manage the site, meet friends at Visit Britain for lunch, and then prepare for my first-ever live television appearance that evening. I can't tell you how awesome it was … [Read more...]
This was to be a quick trip. I hadn't originally planned to be in London during the Royal Wedding, despite wanting to more than anything. The problem was that 8 weeks before the Royal Wedding, our first baby was due to be born. It just wouldn't be a good idea to go -- something both Jackie and I agreed on. Then the BBC called. And called … [Read more...]
We ate at quite a few restaurants while we were in London and rather than review all of them individually, here's a quick summary review of everywhere we ate in London, how the food was and where it was located. Garfunkel's Location: All Over Central London I usually get a lot of flak for even mentioning this restaurant - mostly because it's a … [Read more...]
You know how we all have these fantasies about what traveling First Class is like? They're all true. The Opportunity to Fly British Airways First Class As I wrote about previously, British Airways flew us on our most recent trip as guests - first in Business class and the way home was planned to be in First Class. They wanted to provide us an … [Read more...]
During our recent trip to London, I had the opportunity to review an Apple iPad thanks to the good graces of Golden Technologies in Valparaiso, Indiana. My review went live last week. Here's an excerpt: By far the most impressive feature of the iPad was how long the battery lasts. I used it pretty heavily and it lasted for 3 days on one … [Read more...]
Two of the biggest issues the wayward traveler faces while in London is calling back home and getting affordable and reliable internet access. Tep Wireless solves both these issues. We had the opportunity to test out the Tep Wireless service on our recent trip and here's a rundown of how it went. What is Tep Wireless? Tep Wireless is a … [Read more...]
One question we get asked a least a few times a month is "When is the best time to Travel in London?" Well, after our recent trip to London, I'm proud to say that I've had the chance to visit London in all four seasons and now I can give a clear and definitive answer. The answer is NOT JULY. Why? This post has moved - Click to read on at … [Read more...]
This will be the first in a series of posts about our recent trip to London. It was a whirlwind trip but a lovely trip. Rather than give a day by day, blow by blow account of the trip, I'm going to focus on several key aspects of the trip that are worth writing about. It was mostly a business trip - so there isn't much touristy stuff … [Read more...]
If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you know that we're leaving for London Sunday. I wanted to tell everyone about it, our plans and how it came about. If this does not interest you - then by all means skip this post. We hadn't planned on a trip to London this year at all. We were saving our money for the future and continuing to build … [Read more...]
Jonathan and I have been happily married since 2006. We took a trip to England shortly after we were married, before I legally changed my last name to Jon's last name. My American driver's license was still in my maiden name to match my passport. I did not have any problems going through customs in England or the United States. When we got … [Read more...]
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
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