Thinking of traveling to the UK, or even moving here someday? I'm here to help. I’m Victoria, an American who’s made the leap across the pond not once, but twice. I created A Life Away to help fellow Americans experience the UK more confidently, whether you're planning a dream trip, a scouting visit, or a full-on relocation. If you want real-life advice, honest insights, and inspiration for your UK adventure delivered straight to your inbox, then this is for you.
Visit the City of Dreaming Spires - February newsletter from A Life Away
Happy February Friend!
Where are you wandering these days? I'm heading into my daughter's half-term school break, and looking forward to some extra adventures with her during her time off. We aren't traveling for the whole week, which is different for us, but do have some day trips planned in and around London.
What's going on this month?
We may still be in winter times, but February brings out some nighttime magic in the UK. Several national parks here are dark sky reserves. This makes them ideal for stargazing, and February is a great time to experience them while the nights remain long. The South Downs National Park in West Sussex hosts a Dark Skies Festival every February, with events like kids astronomy lessons to night sky photography classes.
Meanwhile, crowd levels are lower in the cities. I'm in London most weekends and have noticed a lot fewer tourists bustling about. If you follow my winter packing list, you can enjoy a quieter visit in February and still stay warm and dry.
What's new on the blog?
I've added a destination guide for Oxford! Nicknamed the City of Dreaming Spires, walking around Oxford University and the surrounding city is like stepping into a fantasy world. It's easy to see why many Harry Potter scenes were filmed here, and literary history that inspired tales like Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia are around every turn.
If there's one thing I learned while visiting Oxford, it's that this is the place to book into a guided tour. Oxford University is gorgeous, but it's also kind of an original gated community. There's a lot of places you can only access with a tour, so don't think you can just show up and see it all. My recommendations for the best tours are in the guide to help you plan your perfect visit!
Travel planning tip for February
When I'm planning a trip that involves a flight, I always start with setting up a fare alert. What's a fare alert? It's an automated notification from your preferred flight-booking site when prices for your flight drop. I use Skyscanner for this, and it has saved me so much money. Here's how you can do it too:
Head to Skyscanner, enter your home airport and then put London (or any other preferred UK destination airport). Enter your preferred travel dates and hit Search.
On the next screen, you'll see the price results as they stand now. But you will also see a Get Price Alerts button. Click on that and follow the prompts to create a fare alert. After this, Skyscanner will track the flight price for your and you'll get updates delivered right to your inbox - now you can book your UK flight when the price is lowest.
Simple, but effective. Using this tip, I've saved hundreds on a single flight. Now you're ready to do the same!
Whether you're stargazing or travel dreaming this month, I hope you're doing well! Don't forget to reply to this email with any questions or things you want to learn more about life and travel in the UK.
Talk again soon,
Victoria
A Life Away
Thinking of traveling to the UK, or even moving here someday? I'm here to help. I’m Victoria, an American who’s made the leap across the pond not once, but twice. I created A Life Away to help fellow Americans experience the UK more confidently, whether you're planning a dream trip, a scouting visit, or a full-on relocation. If you want real-life advice, honest insights, and inspiration for your UK adventure delivered straight to your inbox, then this is for you.
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...
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...
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...