Walking on Air: My Experience in London

Since I’ve been away for a while… ya girl flew across the pond and landed on the London lily pad! 🇬🇧Yes, that’s right—my claustrophobic, scared-of-heights self survived a longggg 9-hour flight to the United Kingdom. And honestly? I’m so glad I did.

This spontaneous trip was all my sister’s doing. About two months before we left, in the middle of the night—literally the night before our sweet grandmother’s funeral—my sister turned to me and said, “I just bought my plane ticket to London.”We both started screaming. She was officially going to London… I, however, hadn’t bought my ticket yet. 😂

I booked mine a few weeks later, and that’s when it really hit me: YA GIRL IS GOING TO LONDON.

My mom wasn’t exactly thrilled we were going without her, but when I told my best friend, Alexus, she wasn’t about to let us go without her either. You know you can’t travel without Alexus. And just like that, the trio was locked in.

Planning Mode: Activated 🎒

We found a hotel (no clue what part of London we were in—we just booked something in our budget and called it a day). As the trip got closer, we stalked the hotel online, mapped the area, and realized the airport was over an hour away from where we’d be staying. No biggie… we were grown traveling women. We had this… right?

If you know me, you know when it’s time to travel, I go full drill sergeant. I need everything packed, documents printed, and travel items purchased at least three weeks before takeoff. Yes, we are on FaceTime going through our suitcases, checking each other. Am I the drama? I don’t think I’m the drama… 😏

By November, the excitement was real. We were leaving on Black Friday, and every few days the group chat was filled with “OMG WE’RE GOING TO LONDONNNNN” or “OMG IT’S REALLY A 9-HOUR FLIGHT.” We’ve been to other countries, but this was by far the longest flight ahead of us.

Thanksgiving, Goodbyes, and Takeoff

Thanksgiving was bittersweet—our first one without our lovely grandma 💔. But the next day, we packed up, headed to my mom’s house to hang out with her and my aunt, and then made our way to the airport.

Sidebar: Alexus, when it’s travel day and I text you… I need you to respond IMMEDIATELY. Or whatever NeNe said. 😂 Love youuuu.

TSA? Anxiety. I’m literally whispering, “If you’ve got a hoodie on, take it off,” like I’m quoting TikTok on repeat. We make it to our gate as the sun is setting, ready for our long overnight journey.

Our first flight was a tiny plane that looked like it came out of the 1960s. Delayed a bit due to wind, but it ended up being one of the smoothest flights I’ve ever taken. We landed in Philly (Jilly from Philly!), sprinted across the massive airport to make our connection—and let me tell you: we thought flying to London on Black Friday at night would be chill… BABY that gate was packed! We basically took over an entire corner.

My sister and best friend boarded first, and I was left terrified to follow alone. The plane? Massive. My seat? “Economy comfort” (emphasis on economy). Tight squeeze. The guy in front of me reclined into my entire lap for the whole 9 hours. I couldn’t even eat properly.

But aside from that, the flight was peaceful. I slept the best I could and woke up at the perfect time—just in time to watch the world go from night to morning as we literally crossed into another time zone. It was one of the trippiest, most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

Day One: Touchdown & Pasta Noodles as Straws 🍝

We landed at 9 AM London time—about 10 PM back home in North Carolina. Our bodies were confused, but we hit the ground running. We’d technically lost a day by traveling overnight.

We got last-minute airport transportation (don’t recommend flying into Heathrow if your hotel is far from central London—learned that the hard way).

Our hotel was cute! We pulled up like, “OHHH this is niceeeee—this all right here is you!” 😂 Check-in was easy… but then we became those travelers. We got lost trying to find our room (because we refused to read the signs), and once we got in, we couldn’t figure out how to turn on the lights.Hand on hip—Y’ALL. There was a keycard slot by the door. Stick it in, and tada! Let there be light.

The room was freezing (spoiler: we stayed cold the entire trip until the last night). We unpacked, debriefed, and still couldn’t believe we were actually in freakin London.

Dinner time rolled around, so we got dressed. While my sister went downstairs for something, she called me:“There are four people stuck in the elevator—the same one we just used.” 😳YEP. We took the stairs the rest of the trip, no hesitation.

We found a pasta spot within walking distance (yes, we did the classic London walking), and they gave us pasta noodles as straws—which was actually kind of adorable. After dinner, we took the long way back to the hotel to do a little sightseeing before calling it a night.

Day Two

We started our morning with breakfast at the cutest coffee shop located right in the lobby of our hotel. It was fancy but cozy, and the owner was so sweet! The croissants? Absolutely divine.

It was rainy that day, so we headed to Borough Market, a local hotspot filled with incredible vendors. And yes… yes, we did get the strawberries dipped in chocolate—and the guys working the stand? Adorable. Did I eat those strawberries every single day I was there? Absolutely. But we’re not here to judge, righttt? 😅🍓

We wandered through the market to wait out the rain, soaking in all the amazing smells and sights. Eventually, we decided to escape the downpour by catching a movie. We found a theater nearby and watched Paddington 2—which had just premiered in the UK, so phones were strictly off.

After the movie, the rain finally cleared. We walked for a while and somehow ended up in a magical little alley that looked straight out of Harry Potter. Before we knew it, we were standing on London Bridge as the city lights began to glow.

Dinner that night was at a cozy pizzeria, followed by a spontaneous trip to the Sky Garden—and guess what? We got into an exclusive event for free! It was on the 32nd floor, and the view? Breathtaking. (Don’t worry—pictures are on my Instagram 😉). That’s how we ended the night, feeling lucky, full, and grateful.

Day Three

After staying up way too late chatting and laughing, we woke up and walked to a local breakfast spot we’d found. Let’s just say… the full English breakfast didn’t stand a chance against my sister 😂 She devoured it.

After breakfast, we spent the rest of the day exploring Piccadilly Circus. We got wonderfully lost in the surrounding streets—stumbling into Chinatown, a comic book store, a record shop, and trying (and failing) to get into the M&M store (the line was wild).

We popped into their version of CVS, which completely blew my mind. Makeup and luxury skincare downstairs, medicine and groceries upstairs. Wild.

Starving by that point, we had a much-needed meal at Hard Rock Café, then hobbled to Tesco while waiting on our Uber. And when I tell you we went crazy in there… 😅😂

Our Uber driver ended up being one of the best parts of the day. He told us everything about London and even shared a few wild rendezvous stories of his own.

Back at the hotel, we rested our feet during a quick break (by the way, the sun went down around 3 or 4 PM each day—it was pitch dark by early evening!). Later, we got dressed and walked to a restaurant my sister had found online.

It was everything. The staff was incredibly welcoming—taking our coats, serving beautiful drinks (THE DRINKS, y’all—check my IG), and the food? Out. Of. This. World.

On the tipsy walk home, we somehow stumbled into a TK Maxx and ended the night with sore feet, full hearts, and way too many shopping bags.

Final Days: Big Ben, Shrek, and One Last Glass of Wine 🍷

On one of our last days in London, we made the bold decision to walk to Big Ben and the Shrek Experience. Yes, walk—as in over an hour on foot. Were our feet already killing us from the previous days? Absolutely. Did we care? Not really. The struggle was real, but the vibes were immaculate.

We wandered through quaint little towns and neighborhoods to get there, the cold nipping at our faces—and yes, all we’d eaten was a cup of strawberries. Shhh.

Once we got to Big Ben, we FaceTimed our families to show them the iconic clock tower in all its glory. That moment made it all worth it. Afterward, we headed to the Shrek Experience for a little childhood joy and more walking because clearly, we didn’t suffer enough. 😂

We grabbed a long Uber ride back to the hotel, feet throbbing, but spirits still high. When we got back to our room, we noticed something odd—our floor was vibrating. Turns out, there was a whole party happening downstairs. The music was shaking the walls. Naturally, me and my sister were curious, so we threw on our coats and went to the bar to grab a glass of wine and feel somewhat included.

Were we underdressed? Yes.Did we sneak into the party? No, we were too scared.Did we enjoy our wine like classy, cold, tired queens? You bet we did.

Back upstairs, we recapped the entire trip with Alexus, talking and laughing until we remembered one major issue: the room was still freezing.We finally called our parents to tell them how cold we’d been the whole trip. Their response?“WHY DIDN’T Y’ALL SAY SOMETHING SOONER!?”We got cussed out… lovingly. 😂

A hotel heater was eventually delivered, but it didn’t work either—at that point, it was too late. We bundled up and got a few hours of sleep before our long journey home.

Back Across the Pond 🛫

Leaving London felt surreal—we blinked and the trip was over. Our flight back started with a long-haul to Chicago, and it felt even longer than the flight there. The only saving grace? I got to sit in the back row with my twin (no stranger in the middle seat 🙌).

The flight crew fed us like we were at a buffet in the sky: lunch, dinner, three snacks. My stomach was waving the white flag by hour seven. 😩

We landed in Chicago late and quickly learned our flight to Greensboro was delayed. Multiple times. People at the gate said they’d been waiting since 2 PM because the plane couldn’t land due to windy weather. At one point, we were all convinced we’d be stuck in Chicago overnight.

Eventually, the plane came (hallelujah 🙌), and we landed back in Greensboro pushing 10 PM—cold, exhausted, and already missing London.

Final Thoughts ❤️

This trip was spontaneous, special, and so full of laughter, sisterhood, and magic.We got lost, froze our butts off, walked until our feet gave out, ate chocolate-covered strawberries like they were vitamins, and made memories that will last a lifetime.

London, you were everything and more.'Til next time 🇬🇧✨

-XOXO Makayla 💋