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One of the great secrets of travel is to ‘do what the locals do’. Local people will almost always know the best things to do and the cheapest way to do them.

Take the case of the ‘tourist bus’. It can be very convenient to get to know a foreign city quickly, using the local open-top bus. It can make an excellent introduction to a city and allow you to narrow down the list of places that you want to explore in more detail. However, you don’t see many Londoners on the open-top buses in London, do you? Even if they are showing visitors around their beloved city. Why? Because there are much cheaper and more effective ways of getting around the city. A day pass on the London buses is cheap and you will see at least as much, if you plan it carefully. And you won’t have that annoying, patronizing commentary.

So how about traveling to places outside London? This can seem more complicated to arrange and many people seek the safety of an organized tour. But think about Oxford, for example. This beautiful historic university city is only an hour or so from London. There is an adequate train service. But what do the locals do? They take the bus. In fact, there are two bus companies operating on the London to Oxford route in competition, which means that the fares are cheap and the service is frequent. For less than twenty pounds, you can get a return ticket on one of these services to Oxford. Go when you want, explore Oxford at your own pace and return to London when you want. This is what a Londoner would do and I’d advise you as an informed visitor to London to do the same.

So where do you find these buses? There is a convenient bus stop situated at Marble Arch, on the Hyde Park side. Look out for a service named the ‘Oxford Tube’ (as you probably know, the ‘tube’ is the popular name for the subway system in London.) Just pay the driver as you get on the bus. Take my advice and go upstairs. You’ll enjoy interesting views of the western London suburbs and see how Londoners really live. And once you cross the outer London ring road, you’ll love the views of the green and rolling Oxfordshire countryside. Remember to bring your camera!

You’ll have a great day out, save money and be more like a real Londoner. What could be better?

Pearson Brown writes regularly for the Secret London website at http://www.mysecretlondon.com

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London’s famed “black cab” taxi drivers are known for their knowledge of the best and quickest routes around the capital city, but most visitors to the city simply don’t realize just how much training is involved in taking on such a career. There are nearly 25,000 licensed taxi drivers in the city (licensed, as opposed to private hire “minicab” drivers who often charge less but are not tested or background-checked), and each one of them has had to pass an intensive test called the “Knowledge.” It takes the average cabbie nearly three years to learn the information and pass the necessary exams to earn his or her license and own their independent taxi business.

While drivers who will be concentrating their efforts on a particular suburban area of London (i.e. Croydon or Ealing) are tested primarily on those areas, the “All London” drivers whom most tourists will encounter are well-studied in every street, hotel, restaurant, theater, park, and landmark within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. That sounds like a small area, but once you’ve started walking during your vacation, you’ll see it most definitely is not. Because cab drivers are available and working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, they need to also have a solid understanding of traffic patterns, road construction, weather delays, and city events that may affect conditions on the streets - conditions that could delay your journey.

The official name for the “Knowledge” test is the Guide to Learning the Knowledge of London, or the Blue Book, with 320 different scenarios for passenger routes (also known as runs). In addition to knowing the most expeditious way to get from Point A to Point B - which is what every tourist wants! - but they need to be aware of all the famous landmarks in and around the route. If you strike up a conversation with the driver, you find that they can provide detailed information about where you’re going and can answer all sorts of tourists’ questions.

London Vacation Experts look forward to providing you with accurate, up-to-the-minute information about planning your London travel! Our website contains the most helpful tips, reviews, and resources for air travel, accommodations, ground transportation, sightseeing, restaurants, and entertainment. Visit us at online: http://www.londonvacationexperts.com

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