Book Review: Let’s Go Britain 2009

Let’s Go Britain 2009

Edited by Kimberly Hagan

In addition to giving you general information and recounting our own experiences abroad, we’ll also be suggesting resources to take advantage of before or during your time in the UK. One of the areas of additional resources is the travel book. Yes, travel books are most likely not used as much as they were in the past due to the internet, but there will always be people who prefer browsing through a book over clicking through webpages. If you’re one of the former, travel books are a great (and condensed) way to find things to do, or even to remind yourself of sites you want to see. For example, a friend and I were perusing through the available travel books at a hostel in Rome during some downtime one day. While flipping through one I was reminded of “The Mouth of Truth” (La Bocca della Verità) I had seen in the movie Roman Holiday. I decided that that was one of the places I wanted to stop at during our sightseeing.

This post will concentrate on Let’s Go: Britain 2009. Okay, so 2009 isn’t exactly up-to-date, but it was the latest edition of the Let’s Go Britain series at the local library and I’m not one to sit myself down in Barnes & Noble and outright read a book then and there. Let’s Go isn’t the first series that comes to my mind when thinking of travel guides. Fodor’s or Rick Steves’ books are among the popular options. (Speaking of Rick Steves, apparently he visited the aforementioned Roman hostel during our stay. He wanted to review it for one of his books. Unfortunately, since the hostel was tiny, there weren’t any openings available. My friend and I came back from the day out and the manager and one of the other guests were talking about getting pictures with him and having him sign various items—including one of his travel guides.) But the small font on the cover that states “[Britain] on a budget” caught my eye. As a student, the words “budget,” “sale,” and “free” were always enticing, as I’m sure they are with you too. 

One of Let’s Go’s strong suits is that it employs students as its researcher-writers. There is a page in the book with dedicated photos and short biographies of the writers. It’s nice to be able to see the contributors’ faces and know that they give a younger viewpoint on things. In general Let’s Go seems to strive to cater to younger travelers, especially student ones, over families or an older generation. I highly doubt that a fact like the annual per-person beer consumption would find its way into some of the other travel publishers’ books. Some basic chapter points include: communications, UK customs, suggested itineraries, and planning. The rest of the book goes into different regions in more detail, split up into the usual categories like “Entertainment and Nightlife” and “Food and Pubs.” Probably the most interesting section is “Beyond Tourism” which outlines volunteer, as well as short- and long-term work, opportunities. I don’t think everyone in necessarily interested in au pair and day farming jobs, but it’s nice to know that the options are available. Overall Let’s Go blends the more traditional sightseeing destinations with ones that might appeal more to students. This is most likely even more apparent in the company’s student and budget series of travel guides.

-L.

Hostels, Hostels, Hostels

Ah, the hostel. If you plan on traveling during your time abroad, hostels will most likely become your best friend. Unless you’ve already experienced staying in hostels, you may have some connotations in regards to them: sites of horror movies, places frequented by backpackers with questionable hygiene, and so on. While you might find some of these stereotypical travelers in them, hostels are frequently used by younger people like you who are taking a trip while studying abroad. Hostels are also the cheapest option for those on a budget and who are planning to visit a lot of places. If you only plan on taking a couple trips during your stay in the UK, you might want to look into more traditional, nicer hotels. But for those who intend to see a lot of places, or those who just want to get the experience, should look into hostels.

The most important thing to remember when using hostels is to do your research. A good and popular site to use is Hostelworld.com. There, you can search for hostels (and hotels and guided tours, among other things) by criteria such as city, open booking dates, price range, and number of people in your party. As with any other travel booking site, pictures of the places are posted. Probably the most useful aspect of Hostelworld.com is that you can read user reviews and ratings. These are essential in getting a feel for a hostel, as you can read about how secure other travelers felt when staying at the location, its proximity to landmarks and transportation, and the amenities it provides like free breakfast. (The breakfasts aren’t fancy, but what student doesn’t like free stuff? Plus, a breakfast provided by the hostel will let you spend more on meals later in the day.) Once you’ve found one that suits your needs, it’s easy to book through the site. I never had a problem with reservations made through the site, but I always printed out the booking confirmation number just in case.

Other things to remember when using hostels:

Be aware of who you are traveling with and how many people (i.e., strangers) with whom you are comfortable sharing a room. Is your group large enough that you rather get a private room together? Are you traveling alone or in a pair and open to having roommates? Adjust your room preferences accordingly. Hostels have rooms ranging from private (housing about four people) to large dorms, depending on the size of the hostel and layout. Dorms are the cheapest room options and provide a way of meeting new friends, but there is a greater chance of being grouped with people you might have concerns about. This is rare, but it can happen; a friend and I only once had to ask to change rooms. In terms of security, if you have personal items you don’t feel comfortable leaving in the room, most hostels have a safe behind the service desk or lockers where you can stash important items.

Be open to surprises. Reviews and pictures can only reveal so much. I had some surprises while traveling, none of them expected but none of them posing a huge problem either. For instance, a friend and I had picked a hostel in northern England to spend the night at that had good reviews and was newly upgraded. It turned out to be very nice: still smelled of new wood and the mattresses weren’t sunken-in in the middle yet. After a long day of traveling, I wanted to shower before bed. Upon entering the women’s bathroom, I found that the shower curtains were completely clear. As in: These shower curtains are only here to stop water from spilling out on the floor, not for privacy. Not one for communal showers, I ending up waiting out the day until I got back to my own flat and private bathroom. That’s something I wouldn’t have found out from reading reviews, unless someone specifically wanted to write about it. I also walked in on what seemed like a makeshift hair salon in a different hostel once. One girl was sitting in a chair with a smock on getting her hair cut by another girl right in the middle of the bathroom. Interesting, to say the least.

-L.