Amazon Prime Day is upon us, and this year there are several travel deals you don't want to miss! These deals expire when Prime Day ends on July 11th, so move quickly if you want to save. Travel Deals for the UK and Europe Most people don't even realize that you can snag big discounts on travel through Amazon's Prime Day event - especially if you like cruises. I've taken a Royal Caribbean cruise from Southampton to visit France and Spain and had a fantastic time. 👉See the best deals for...
2 months ago • 1 min read
UK Hot Hits Different Look, I grew up outside Houston, Texas. I know what crazy heat feels like. So why do people in the UK always show up on my social media complaining when the temperature hits 80F? There's several reasons for this, like buildings made to absorb heat and the city glass/concrete combo bouncing heat around. But I think there's one reason that overrides all that: no air conditioning. Temperatures that would have felt fairly normal back in Texas or California are inescapable...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Summer in America vs. the UK I was lucky to have a good friend come visit me last week. Her kids have just wrapped up the school year in California and are starting in on summer activities. My nieces and nephews in Florida and Texas have been out of school for a few weeks. Meanwhile, my daughter still has over a month left in the school year. It's strange every year to see signs of US holidays while school is still on here. The differences between school calendars in the US and UK were so...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi there! I've been gone a bit longer than planned, so sorry for going quiet. I'm just getting settled back in after spending time back in the US visiting family and friends. It was so nice to be close to people I usually only get to speak to over video. I haven't experienced homesickness much this year, but there will always be a part of my heart that lives in America. American Things That Don't Exist in the UK Any time I go back to the US, my friends ask me what food I've missed and what...
3 months ago • 2 min read
The Housing Culture Shock It's hard to believe it's been nearly three years since I moved my family to the UK (for the second time). In spite of how long we've been here, and having now experienced several different rental houses, we are still sometimes surprised by what's normal in homes here compared to the US. From living in a rainy country with no clothes dryer to tiptoeing up steep staircases, we've definitely had to adapt. I recently updated my blog article 30 Big Differences Between...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Spring Break - British Style Hey there! My daughter is currently on her second week of term break from school. It's a bit like a second Christmas break in the spring, or maybe a longer spring break. Before we moved to the UK, I had no idea how schools scheduled coursework across this year. It was one of the bigger culture shocks we experienced to shift from our American expectations into British schooling. Now that we've been here a while, I still regularly have local parent friends ask us...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Eurostar Travel Tips I usually talk about travel inside the UK, but I've recently been helping family plan a trip to visit the UK and Paris, France. They're spending half of their time with me in and around London, with a few days in the middle off exploring Paris. They'll be traveling under the sea on the Eurostar train to get there and back. I've taken the Eurostar train service a few times myself, but wanted to share a few tips in case this type of trip is on your bucket list too. If...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Smart money moves that helped me move abroad When my family decided to move to the UK, I knew we had to get our finances in order. This would be my second time moving from the US to the UK, and I knew firsthand how quickly the costs could add up. That meant making sure we could afford this new adventure without making money mistakes along the way. We had some money set aside, but also needed to resolve some debts and figure out how to help our savings grow after we moved. I needed a plan that...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Shakespeare Outside of the Globe I recently went into central London with my daughter to see a production of Richard II starring Jonathan Bailey. It was very fun to see Fiyero do Shakespeare, but the whole cast was incredible. The location was also an interesting twist. Bridge Theatre is one of the newest theatre venues in London, located just a mile down the river from Shakespeare's Globe. The Bridge doesn't only run Shakespeare plays, but the flexible space was set up for a similar "show in...
6 months ago • 2 min read