Day 1
2nd of June
So today is the day! We finally got to go to London, after months of preparation it was so exciting to be able to travel down and actually begin our insight. After looking at the different options my group decided to fly from Edinburgh to London, much to our surprise this was cheaper than taking the train, and also meant we had less travel time.
Our group was quite organised and we all met up at quarter past five to get the plane (which left at 7:15) I’d recommend doing something similar in terms of getting this early. It really stopped us from panicking and meant we could browse duty free and get something to eat. Unfortunately we had a little bit of a panic when it came to boarding as the time we thought the boarding opened was actually the time it closed. Luckily enough we realised this and were able to get in (after a quick run!). So do be careful about the details of the airport. Sometimes they don’t give announcements or you might miss them so it’s best to check yourself.
We arrived at London at half 8 in the morning, this was brilliant as it gave us the chance to spend the whole day in London, it also meant we had time to figure out how to get to the airbnb that we stayed in (website can be found here, the couple were so friendly when we arrived and gave bits of advice about travelling and free time) The airbnb site was a useful tool as it gave us an idea of different prices and locations that we could think about. For us the hotels in the area were very expensive but it’s worth looking at just in case they drop.
Once we’d had a little rest in the flat we went for a walk around London. We walked to St Pauls which was beautiful and just looked around. It was quite nice to do this as it meant we got a rough bearing of where the nearest tube/train stations were. We did do quite a lot of walking on Saturday and I (unwisely in hindsight) wore new shoes. Don’t do this. For the sake of your feet just don’t, wear nice comfy shoes at least for the first day! We then came back to the flat and had a relaxing evening in before having an early night.
Positives Getting to London! It’s so exciting to be here. On top of that it was quite nice to have a day to relax and get use to being in a new city without thinking about where we needed to go or who we needed to meet. I’d really advise going a day or two before your first meetings to do this.
Challenges Getting use to the travel system in London as it is different from Edinburgh. I wouldn’t worry about it if you plan on going though as, if you know where you’re going and where you are, then the boards at the different stations are quite clear.
Did I do anything for my goals? Independence - Today was my first flight without any family members, I had to navigate the airport on my own (until I met up with my group) and make sure I had everything I needed. This was quite important for me as due to my insulin pump (for Type 1 Diabetes) I can’t go through the first scanner at an airport. Confidence - Going with the four other girls, as lovely as they are, was making me a bit nervous. But I had nothing to worry about. My fellow travellers are wonderful and certainly have boosted my confidence. Networking - Today we didn’t really meet any alumni however we did use the time to get to know each other and I feel like that was a good part of networking.
What would I do differently? Make sure to pay attention to any announcements in the airport. Wear more comfortable shoes, I knew I’d be walking but felt my new shoes were comfortable at the time. Just remember they might be comfy but they may still rub.
Photos under the cut