How to Visit London Without Leaving Home
How to plan a London-themed virtual staycation
Can’t travel due to coronavirus? Plan a destination- themed staycation to get a taste of travel without leaving your home!
Like others around the world, practicing social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus has meant postponing all of our travels for the foreseeable future. Even though we can’t physically travel, we figure we have decided that we can still have a little travel-related fun while in self-quarantine by planning some ‘Virtual staycations’ to our favorite destinations.
We decided to start with our very first overseas trip and plan a themed staycation to London!
How To Experience London From Home
When we travel, our goal is to experience the food and drink, arts and culture, and get a feel for ‘everyday’ life in our destination. We figure a virtual vacation shouldn’t be any different! So this coming weekend, we’re planning a full day of London and UK-themed foods and activities where we plan to:
- Make destination-inspired dishes and drinks
- Take virtual tours of cultural attractions
- Watch our favorite British TV shows and movies
Our recommendations for our London Virtual Vacation are shared below, but feel free to customize your day based on your favorite London memories!
Virtual Staycation: London Edition
Hanging out in Trafalger Square at Christmas time.British-Themed Food & Drink
British food has gotten a bad rap, but with such a diverse population, we’ve found that London as a massive array of different cuisines to try. We’ve listed some of our favorite treats that we’d typically try to eat while in London. Please note- we haven’t been able to test all of these recipes yet personally, but all are highly reviewed!
Curries
Brits love their curries (read more about that here), so why not make the ‘national dish’ of England, Chicken Tikka Masala!
Recipes to try:
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea is a must-have experience when visiting London (read more about the history of afternoon tea here.)Mike and I always try to experience a decadent Afternoon Tea whenever we visit, and we’ve found that recreating the experience at home can be a lot of fun. You can keep this simple with a couple of digestives and some tea or go all out with finger sandwiches, scones, and petite desserts.
– Recipes to try:
o King Arthur’s English Digestive Biscuits
o The Spruce Eats Traditional English Tea Sandwiches
o Oh How Civilized’s How to Easily Make A Proper Cup of Tea
Tea sandwiches at The Dorchester in London. Champagne optional but encouraged!Pimm’s Cup
Pimm’s Cups are one of my favorites: they are widely available in pubs, especially in the warmer months, and make for a refreshing and not too boozy drink. It’s common to put muddled lemon, cucumber, and strawberries in a Pimm’s Cups, but you can experiment with different fruit combinations. They’re also a great way to use up leftover fruit before it goes bad.
Recipes to try:
Pimm’s can usually be found in many liquor stores, but if you can’t find it, try making a refreshing Gin & Tonic instead!
Sticky Toffee Pudding
One of my favorite British desserts, Sticky Toffee Pudding, is sweet and decadent but takes a little time to make. (I’ve also heard that it’s one of Kate Middleton’s favorite desserts!) We decided to treat ourselves to dessert for breakfast this past weekend and made these Sticky Toffee Pudding Pancakes. Do yourself a favor and make extra sauce to drizzle over ice cream!
Recipes to try:
Sunday Roast
A popular Sunday meal in the U.K., you can find Sunday Roast on the menu at many restaurants and pubs on the weekends. Traditionally made up of roasted meat alongside Yorkshire puddings, and various roasted veg, it’s the ultimate comfort meal for the weekend.
Recipes to try:
- The Spruce Eat’s How to Cook the Perfect Sunday Roast
- BBC Good Food Nut Roast– The vegetarian-friendly recipe makes a great alternative to a traditional meat roast. I’ve made this recipe multiple times, and while it takes some effort, it has excellent flavor and texture. Mike likes it so much that he even said we should make it in lieu of Thanksgiving turkey!
Vegetarian Sunday Roast at the Blackfriar Pub.Activities for a London Virtual Staycation
Virtual Tours
You’ve probably seen the dozens of virtual tours you can take of popular museums and cultural sights around the world. While not the same as experiencing them in person, they can be a great way to experience arts and culture from your couch.
Here are a few to get you started:
- The British Museum– You can even take a walk around the outside of the building.
- 10 Downing Street– Take a virtual tour of the home of the British prime minister.
- Shakespeare’s Globe 360– Download an app to take a virtual interactive tour of the famous Globe theater
- Buckingham Palace– Walk the halls of the Queen’s London residence.
Sightseeing outside of Buckingham Palace, but virtual tour allows you a glimpse inside!Movies, TV, & Books
Watching a TV show or movie set in your destination is hardly the same as visiting. But in lieu of actually being able to interact with the locals, you can live vicariously through the characters onscreen.
Some of our favorite British TV shows (admittedly, not all are set in London, but they’re still worth a look!)
– Sherlock
– Downton Abbey
– Inbetweeners
– Fresh Meat
– The Office (U.K)
– The IT Crowd
Favorite Movies Set in London
– Shawn of the Dead
– Man Up
– King’s Speech
– About a Boy- or try the book!
– Mary Poppins
Favorite Books Set in London
Rivers of London series- Follow a supernatural detective through London as
Harry Potter series- While, of course, not entirely set in London, I couldn’t resist
White Teeth-
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
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