Trip Summary Post

 The London Brand Trip was an experience I will forever remember; everything from tours to museums to Warner Brothers studios beat my expectations of what this trip would be. I would take a course like this over the summer term, including travel. Although I have visited London several times, I truly enjoyed this trip the most. During my visit, I got to see everything in London and many new places and experiences.

The first day was exhausting, but after some well-deserved rest, our groups adjusted. We were introduced to our perception of the London Brand on our first day. We visited a PR company, Mike Worldwide, which was an extremely informative experience. We learned a little background on the culture in the UK, working within the UK, and working with other countries, including the US. As someone who has worked on a marketing team in the US, the information we discussed was accurate about how Americans write emails, take vacations, and, more importantly, the work-life balance.

Our tour guides were very informative, from showing us the Tower Bridge and the Parliament, we truly experienced all areas of London. Our first tour guide showed us blue and white plaques around Westminister that labeled the houses where famous authors, prime ministers, and other prominent figures had previously resided. This was something new to me that I did not know about London. I also didn't know that London and Westminister were separate cities at one point and later combined into one larger city.

On the days we went on our own with our scavenger hunt groups, we were responsible for navigating our way around London to the different locations listed on the scavenger hunt. Using various apps like TFL, City Mapper, and Google Maps was very helpful for our group. Everyone communicated clearly and directly what needed to be done during the scavenger hunt. We could visit the British Museum, Camden Market, Abbey Road, Portobello Market, Little Venice, Primrose Hill, Queen Mary's Rose Garden, and many more beautiful locations. All the scavenger hunt locations were grouped very well so everyone could travel within a reasonable time. Some of my favorite sites we visited were Windsor Castle, Queen Mary's Rose Garden, Camden Market, and Abbey Road.

During my free time on the trip, I was able to meet up with a family friend who showed me around the Soho and Chinatown areas of London. I was also able to experience some of the nightlife in London's Mayfair district. I appreciated that there was time allotted for students to do their own activities during the trip.

If there was anything I could change on this trip or do differently in the future, I should be more aware of my surroundings and remember that not all areas of the city are safe. During the trip, my iPhone was stolen from me; luckily, I was with my family friend, who knew how to navigate the city and was able to help me get a new phone. Although this was a major inconvenience, I could handle and learn from it.

Ultimately, this tip created lifelong memories and experiences I won't forget!