'Easy and more pleasant' alternative to London's famous tube
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Zooming around London on the tube is second nature as I've visited the UK capital dozens of times.
However, on a recent visit I discovered a much more enjoyable way of getting around.
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The London tube is easy to use. Getty
It's something I would previously turn my nose up at. The bus.
You see, I always dismissed London's famous red buses, thinking they'd just get stuck in traffic. I also thought it would be too hard to figure out which one to get.
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However, when I took my mum for a weekend away while visiting her in the UK, I realised she was never going to make it on the tube.
These days she struggles to walk very far, and honestly it can take me ten minutes just to walk to the platform on some of the busier tube lines, so we'd be struggling for ages.
Sarah says getting around London on the bus with her mum was much easier than the tube. Supplied
So, we decided to get buses everywhere we wanted to go instead.
And do you know what? It was so easy and more pleasant than the underground.
I was able to check which bus to get on google maps, and we never had to wait longer than a few minutes.
You just tap on with your Oyster card or a credit card, and you don't have to tap off (or in her case because she had a bus pass from another part of of England, it cost her nothing).
The London Underground is also known as the tube. Getty
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about using the London Underground
I don't think it took much longer than the tube sometimes either, because there are bus lanes.
We were not in too much of a rush, anyway.
And my favourite thing was being able to look out the window and see London go by. The people watching was epic.
On the tube, obviously, you see nothing, plus you're you're usually tripped against a bunch of sweaty commuters a train with no AC. It was also great for learning about the city.
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London has famous red buses. Getty
I feel like I know London well, but I am only learning now how each area connects together because I've always only emerged from underground before.
What's more, unlike on the tube where it's an unspoken rule never to speak to strangers, while on the bus, my mum made some new friends.
A lady next to her struck up a conversation about her nails, and another woman she sat next to also passed the time nattering.
People also gave up their seats for her too, which doesn't always happen on the tube.
Next time I go to London, even if she's not with me, buses are going to become my preferred mode of transport.
There are things I always do in London to save money too.One option is renting a room.Another is things I always do in London to save money too.
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