Preparing to Study Abroad in London: My Packing and Planning Era
First time blogging, first time packing a giant suitcase, and first time spending the summer in London. Wanna come with me?
A: Yes.
A: Emotionally, yes. Logistically, we are working on it.
A: Wait, my entire closet isn’t an option?!
A: London plans, packing chaos, pretty pictures, mild oversharing, dramatic outfit decisions, and the occasional useful tip hiding between the vibes.
Welcome to my little corner of the internet. This blog is my personal travel journal for everything related to my summer abroad in London, from packing and planning to sightseeing, weekend trips, pretty photos, and probably a little too much oversharing along the way.
Basically, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to prepare for studying abroad in London, especially as someone doing this for the first time, you’re in the right place.
Right now, I’m in the very chaotic but exciting stage of the journey: packing.
Packing for study abroad in London
We are officially just a few weeks away from me spending an entire summer in London, away from my family, away from the U.S., and fully thrown into a new city. And honestly? I could not be more excited. If I could leave today, I absolutely would.
Especially because finals are next week, and London sounds significantly better than studying.
My London Bucket List
Preparing to study abroad in London has quickly become a mix of packing chaos, travel planning, Google Maps stalking, and pretending I know how to fit eight weeks of outfits into one suitcase.
Because I am physically incapable of casually preparing for anything, I have already started a very long list of places I want to visit while studying abroad in London. Some are classic tourist spots, some are cute neighborhoods, and some are just places I know will make me feel like I’m living inside a movie.
Classic London Spots
Trafalgar Square
Kensington Gardens
Chelsea
Soho
Covent Garden
St. James’s Park
Notting Hill
Borough Market
Greenwich
Spitalfields Market
A walk along the Thames
Pretty London mews
Hyde Park
Regent’s Park
South Kensington
Mayfair
Marylebone
Shoreditch
Camden
Hampstead
King’s Road / Chelsea shopping day
Museums, Culture, and Main Character Moments
Of course, I also have a museum and culture list because I fully intend to be that girl wandering through galleries, pretending I understand everything, and then immediately Googling it after.
Museums and Cultural Stops
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Wallace Collection
The National Gallery
The British Museum
Tower of London
Royal Academy of Arts
Tate Modern
Tate Britain
National Portrait Gallery
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Windsor Castle
Specific London Culture Ideas
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
V&A special exhibitions
Tate Modern exhibitions
National Gallery visit
British Museum visit
Wallace Collection afternoon
West End show night
Weekend Trips I’m Dreaming About
I also have a very ambitious list of places outside of London that I would love to see. Do I realistically have time to visit all of them? Absolutely not. Am I still writing them down and pretending I might? Obviously.
UK and Nearby Weekend Trips
Stonehenge bus tour
Roman Baths
Bath Abbey
Oxford
Cambridge
Brighton
Windsor
Edinburgh / Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Europe Trip Ideas
Ibiza
Berlin
Florence
Rome
Portugal to see Sophie
Milan
Duomo di Milano
Paris, maybe
Amsterdam, maybe
The Reality Check
Here’s the thing: I only have eight weeks in London.
That sounds like a lot until you realize how much there is to see, do, eat, photograph, and experience. So realistically, I’ll probably only make it to about a quarter of the places on this list. But that’s okay. This blog is not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about trying, exploring, getting a little lost, and making the most of studying abroad in London.
There will be photos. There will be packing updates. Definitely emotional airport thoughts. There may be outfit crises. There will definitely be London coffee shops, museum days, pretty streets, and weekend adventures.
So if you’re planning to study abroad, dreaming about visiting London, packing for a summer in Europe, or just want to follow along for the chaos, welcome.
This is The Girl’s Girl Guide to Preparing for London.
See you girls later ;)