Why didn’t you just take the tube? Waterloo to King’s Cross looks pretty direct on the tube map and, at rush hour, wouldn’t it have been at least as quick as surface streets traffic? It certainly would have been a lot cheaper. Am I missing something? It’s hard to tell without actually having tried to do it, and any extra info is always appreciated. :)

At the end of a long day sightseeing with kids in a busy city? I can totally see taking a taxi instead of being on the tube at rush-hour. With a limited amount of time before kids start melting down because they’re too tired or too hungry Vs long round-trip time on the tube, and the opportunity to end the day on a (very) high note, I think I’d probably have splurged a little too.

Thank you, Rebecca… I am glad to see I wasn’t the only one who thought that taking public transport from a public transport station might have made more sense! Having taken my kids on rush-hour tube rides and rush-hour black cab rides, I’d go for the tube any time. At least the hell is over faster that way. :)

(With that said, I’ve… uh… done the Madame Tussauds thing, so Jamie’s still clearly a savvier traveler than I will ever be.)

Here’s my .02 on public transportation with tired kids: a longer journey in a taxi can be a GOOD thing, because you can sit and rest. Reorganize your stuff. Release your death grip on those little hands. Let down your guard.

Also, you can look out the window (if you’re only in town for the day, it’s a shame to miss any sights at all).

The tube always sounds straightforward, but depending on the line, you may need to descend a few levels to reach it. Then transfer. Then climb back out of the depths. It’s taxing.

Finally, we weren’t standing next to a tube station. We were standing next to a cab stand. ;)

Ha Ha! Always funny, Jamie, but there is a much easier way. First NEVER take a taxi across London in rush hour. Why not the tube or even a bus? Those red buses are fun for kids too and subways around the world always make them grin.

“Rigorous sightseeing” day with kids???? What were you thinking? SLOW is the number one key for family travel. Less is more. Isn’t the key experience you are looking for is fun while on vacation? Overloaded sightseeing is for singles or torture lovers. ;)

Why not gear ALL your sight seeing as a family around kid friendly sights and even start with this one instead of trying to jam it in at the end of a long day?

The best Harry Potter stuff is at the castle where they filmed Hogwarts in the north of England.http://www.alnwickcastle.com/index.php Put that in the plan for next trip. Fantastic with much to appeal to adults as well. Spend the whole day there & let the kids fly with Harry or slay a dragon at their great knights school. Learn history effortlessly by adding fun books. ;)

That was the highlight of our summer tour of the British Isles. Worth the drive & you can spend the day there for hardly any money & bring a picnic! Our 7yo bought her Hermione Granger Halloween costume & broom there…a souvenir NEVER to be forgotten.

Connecting kids to what they know about an area via books is the best! Mine was reading Harry Potter all over England, not realizing she was roadschooling while having fun!

Glad that you did take them there as some will miss this kind of fun that enriches travel for kids. My thought is, find ways to do more of it!

I think I would have had to do the same thing for myself. What I won’t do for a cheesy picture….

I can’t wait for my kids to be into Harry Potter so I can go here. I can’t believe you weren’t into it, Jamie.

And as we are discussing the whole London Underground traveling, here’s my perspective. Last summer I took my two kids (5 and 3) from Waterloo to South Kensington on the tube (that’s 1 change of line). Do you know how many escalators that involved? In an EXTREMELY busy city. 10 huge escalators. My nerves were distraught. When we got out of the Natural History museum, I shoved the kids in a black cab (also a great part of London life) and took them over to Hamleys. It cost me $30. But it was stress free!

O.K. I think I’m with your daughter on this one Jamie. I actually am waiting for my son to be into Harry Potter (I hope he gets into it, because then I will be the only one swooning) so I have an excuse to go.

Awesome take! The kids had fun too! I like this. If there was such a train station with that one, I woulda been there! Great!

You can really hear the American perspective here…just jump in a cab. Ha! We do occasionally take taxi’s, especially when they are cheap, but I can not imagine wasting 70 bucks on a cab ride in rush hour. I’d rather use splurge money on a great meal or special hotel room etc.

We did take a taxi in London, when we had to get to the Globe theatre quickly, maybe another short one. They are fun and good to try, but I would just gear it outside of rush hour and not a long distance.

We actually really enjoy using mass transit & walking all over Europe and my kid has become a pro since she was 5 when we started our world tour.

It really helps to study the mass transit maps of large cities BEFORE going, especially since most families have a limited time. It will help immensely. Most or all are online & great educational value for kids to help.

The bus system is great in London and easy. We took them all over and got a nice view as we did and we tried to get the cool front seat upstairs. I even got great video from there! ( Just regular buses). It is also living like a native & one often gets a chance to meet locals, instead of just tourists. We always have a related book with us too * & snacks like nuts) if it is slow or we are in rush hour traffic.

We did go ALL over Paris ( another huge city) on primarily the subway when my daughter was 5 and she loved it! I am so glad that she is experiencing mass transit as she had never even been on a bus or subway at home. Now she has mastered the subways ( & trains,buses etc) of soooo many cities around the world from Athens to Stockholm! She has never complained about being tired and enjoys stairs!

It is also educational for children to help map out the routes and help find their way. She will be a master at it and saving money when she is an adult! It builds ones confidence to know how to negotiate ones way anywhere in any city & is easy since made for the masses.

We are so use to walking and climbing stairs now that it seemed so odd on our recent trip to California, on just how little American’s walk. We found ourselves wanting to walk to places that we would have driven to in the past. ;)

@soultravelers3: Wise advice, as always! This comment thread gives me an idea for a post about different traveling parents’ splurging styles…thanks all.

Oooh Jamie, that is a great post idea. BTW, I am known to splurge on certain stuff, and then be all economical on others. I have found that especially true since I’ve been traveling with my kiddo in tow. I call them sanity-saving splurges. You know stay at the more expensive hotel because it’s got the private entrance to the amusement park, get room service because I’m too exhausted to go out, buy the $10 sugar-drink…wait my list is getting too long:)

It IS a great idea for a post, actually. Splurging is so subjective. For example, I splurge on airfares a little (for extra room, direct flights, ideal timing etc).