Well, I didn’t intend on booking another London trip (or any international trip, really) quite so soon, but here I am, writing a blog post about my impending trip there…in January! Yeah, three months from now!

So how did that happen? I’m glad you asked!

It literally all came together today. Scott (the husband) is going to Japan for a couple of weeks in January for his grad school program and, while I would love to join him (I’ve never been to Japan, after all), it’s not practical because he’ll be in class and/or doing school stuff the whole time (and he doesn’t really want to extend the trip since he’ll already be missing two weeks of work). And while I could explore without him, I don’t think he would appreciate that, nor would I want to do it without him. I was planning on just hibernating at home for those two weeks, but I had an epiphany this morning – I could take my own little trip! As you know, dear reader, my love of London is well-documented, so I’m always happy to go there and I knew Scott would be fine not going himself since we were just there in August. These things, coupled with the facts that my initial glance at flights showed me I could cover the cost with miles and that I have copious amounts of PTO to use, made me pull the trigger. That means you’ll get to read more about my British exploits in mid-to-late January! Woooooooo!

Somewhat unusually (for me), I also immediately booked a place to stay. While I did do some initial research on Airbnb, I also decided to look into Premier Inn again. I stayed in three different Premier Inn locations during my 2016 solo UK trip (Brighton, Swansea, and London) after having had good experiences with them in the past (also in Brighton and Swansea) and I’m really glad I looked into them this time because I found a killer deal! I’m staying at the hub by Premier Inn, Westminster Abbey for six nights for just over $400 USD, which includes a buffet breakfast every day. What a steal! It seems hub (they don’t capitalize the h, so I won’t either) is Premier’s take on a more modern, cozier (read – smaller) hotel experience in urban settings (there are several hub locations in London). Their website says “Our rooms are compact, but cleverly designed to make sure you have everything you need for a comfortable city stay.” which makes it pretty clear what you’re getting into. However, they do have a nice lounge/bar space and a tasty breakfast buffet and the pictures (and reviews) look really great, so I’m excited. Should be perfect since I’ll be traveling on my own! And the location is excellent – very near Westminster Abbey and literally steps from St. James’s Park Station.

I’m sure you’re wondering what I’ll be doing in London, since I will have just been there five months earlier by the time I arrive. Don’t worry – I’ll occupy my time! And you’ll get to read all about it. 😀