We enjoyed the trip. The beds in the first hotel were great, but I wish we had stayed closer to London. The bus rides got very long and though I don't typically get car sick, I did several days. I understand staying closer probably meant more cost. Along that topic, I wish that we had been given the option to stay with our child. At the planning meeting, Ian said the boys needed to stay together, so I paid the extra money to have my own room, but several boys stayed with their parents. I think he enjoyed the roommate but not enough that I would have paid the $700. I guess just telling us what is and what is not an option so that those of us who are rule followers have all of the information. I definitely would have rather spent the money to stay closer to London than Reading and share a room with my son.
I also feel like we needed more time in London but the Bristol day was kind of blah- I think if the boys had played that day instead of the second London day and we had two full days, that would have been better. Becka was a great tour guide and was able to knowledgeably answer any questions. Her walking tour was great, and I appreciated the information she gave. Bath was a fun day of the trip, and, as Ted Lasso fans, we enjoyed going to Richmond, but it would have been nice to have more time to get food at the pub and shop.
I do wish we had a more specific itinerary before the trip so I could have planned the days we had free time. Even when we had the meeting and that schedule there were several unknowns or days that were definitively planned. I would have rather researched ahead of time and had ideas before and maybe a little less decision fatigue that way. By the time we got to our last day in Oxford, neither of us had the energy to make any more decisions and I feel like if I had known options ahead of time, I would have had a better idea going in.
We are very glad we went and it was a great experience but I feel a few tweaks would make this an even better trip!