London
London was never meant to be a long stop on our worldschooling journey. It was a practical stop between Morocco and Mexico, but it quickly became one of those destinations that surprised us.
After six weeks in Morocco's dusty medinas, surf towns and desert landscapes, arriving in London felt like stepping into a completely different world. Everything was organised, efficient and busy. Trains ran everywhere, supermarkets were stocked with familiar foods, and for the first time in months we felt like we were back in a modern Western city.
At the same time, London is expensive. Very expensive.
But despite the cost, we managed to squeeze an incredible amount into five days.
First Impressions
Our base was in Selhurst, a residential suburb south of central London. It wasn't somewhere most tourists would stay, but it gave us accommodation with easy train access into the city and back to the airport. There was no getting around the fact that accommodation was well over our travel budget.
Kia and I had visited London 15 years ago, but most of those memories are gone. The first thing that struck us was how green London is. For such a massive city, there are parks, gardens and trees everywhere. The second thing was the history.
In Australia, a building from the 1800s feels old. In London, you casually walk past buildings that have stood for hundreds of years without giving them a second thought.
Every train station, church, monument and street corner seemed to have a story attached to it.
Getting Around
One of the biggest highlights for us was London's public transport system.
Coming from Australia, where public transport often feels disconnected, London's network is incredible. Trains, buses and the Underground connect almost every part of the city.
Once we worked out that we could simply tap our phones or cards to travel, getting around became easier.
The kids loved catching trains into the city each day and watching the organised chaos unfold around them.
Exploring the Icons
No first visit to London would be complete without ticking off the major landmarks.
We walked through Westminster, stood beneath Big Ben, visited Buckingham Palace, wandered through St James's Park and crossed paths with more red double-decker buses than we could count.
Unfortunately, we chose a rainy day to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony. The weather reduced much of the spectacle, but we still managed to see marching soldiers and horses making their way through the city.
One unexpected highlight was stumbling across the Horse Guards and seeing the mounted troops preparing to head out. The horses were enormous compared to the horses we'd been riding in Morocco only a few days earlier.
The Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
The hop-on hop-off bus was one of the best things we did with the kids.
Yes, it's touristy.
But for a family visiting London for the first time, it provided a fantastic overview of the city. We spent hours riding around listening to the commentary while spotting famous landmarks.
For Maddie and Emmett, it helped connect all the famous names they'd heard before with real places.
The Cost of London
There's no avoiding it.
London was the most expensive destination we've visited so far.
Accommodation, transport, attractions and especially food all cost significantly more than what we'd become accustomed to in Vietnam, Austria and Morocco.
Even simple meals added up quickly for a family of four.
That said, many of London's biggest attractions are free, which helps offset some of the expense.
Parks, museums, walking tours and simply wandering through historic neighbourhoods can easily fill several days without spending much money.
Worldschooling in London
London is almost impossible to beat from a worldschooling perspective.
History is everywhere.
The kids were able to connect lessons about kings, queens, castles, wars and empire to real places they could see with their own eyes.
Public transport became a practical lesson in navigating large cities. Even simple conversations about how old certain buildings were created learning opportunities that would be difficult to replicate in a classroom.
Five days barely scratched the surface.
You could spend weeks in London and still leave with a list of places you haven't seen.
Would We Return?
Absolutely.
Not because we feel we've "done" London, but because we feel we've only just started.
Next time we'd stay longer, explore more neighbourhoods, visit some of the famous museums we missed and use London as a base for day trips around England.
For a family travelling the world, London delivered exactly what we'd hoped for: history, culture, iconic landmarks and enough experiences to keep both adults and kids engaged from start to finish.
It may have emptied our wallets a little faster than most destinations, but it filled our memories just as quickly.
Explore Our Time in London
👉 Read our full London budget breakdown
👉 Follow our day-to-day experiences in our London daily journals