Customer Reviews

London for Families (Family Travel Guides)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Lain's deal with the question of 'London for Families' in the manner that a company would view a potential new venture. What are the positives, negatives, risks, rewards, and ways of maximizing returns? Approaching the problem like any good management consultant, they provide guidance for generally WHAT to do; but are light on how to do it. This book is devoid of references to web sites (even in the 2000 edition), phone numbers, and other ways of actually determining the specifics of HOW to do it, once you decide what to do. And, like any good management consultant, there is some promotion here. Just try and get apartments for the $ they reference and you will die trying (except in off locations, and in off-seasons, which is not well explained in the book). None-the-less, there is no better book I have found for planning the generalities of your trip. And this advice is not trivial; it is both unique and valuable. For example, if not for the admonitions of the Lain's, we never would have considered renting a London flat, and we have been to London many times. That advice alone, not unique to travel books, but forcefully stated like no other on the shelf, paid for the book many times over. Buy this book for strategy; it is well worth the investment. But for tactics, HOW to do what the Lain's advise, rely on other books, (Take the Kids London, Cadogan.... is the best I have found)

This book is wonderful! It covers everything, including choosing a place to stay (hotel? B&B? apartment?), what to pack, and what to see when you finally get to London. One of my favorite parts is an hour-by-hour list of how to spend your first half a day in London.

There are chapters on favorite family attractions, organized by type (museums, history, theatre, etc.) for your whole family to read. There is even a checklist of these attractions -- every family member can check off their top choices, so that planning the trip becomes a family experience, too.

The authors clearly understand what travelling with children is like - they advise readers to leave time to go to the park, not to overschedule - and even what to do if someone gets lost (one great suggestion: everyone should carry taxi fare and a piece of paper with the address of the hotel). We are planning our first overseas trip with our three children, and I feel so much more capable after reading this book. THANK YOU to Larry and Michael Lain. A must-buy!

This book was good for those planning the trip from home. The accomodations advise was wonderful. Once you get to London, though, this book is virtually useless it is so general. For specific details of what to do, where to go, what age group will be best served, and where to eat while in that particular neighborhood, I say get the Cadogan book. I had it in my pocket for 10 days in London with a 9 yr old and we had a blast. Caveat for all books: call the restaurant or event before going. No book can be THAT up to date and a trip off-season or on- to a defunct restaurant can be a real precious time waster. CADOGAN rules.

I bought 3 London travel books, and this was by far the best. We used it for planning our two week trip and referred to it frequently during the trip. The web access the Lain's provide for updates is also excellent as it provides up-to-date information.

While planning our first trip to London, I found this wonderful book! It is written like a comfortable conversation over coffee. I feel so comfortable using their many suggestions. They tell you little hints like, "Buy a Visitors TravelCard in the US for unlimited bus/tube transportation during your trip. Not available in the UK." All of the book's advice is first person and really puts you at ease. I can't say enough!

Our family went to London last summer, and this book helped to make it a great experience. This is the book that made us think about renting a flat (what we'd call an apartment here)instead of staying in an hotel. It was excellent advice, and really paid off for us. We loved the line drawings in the book, and are still laughing over the one in the section that discusses making sure you are renting a space with enough beds - one rather disgruntled family member is clearly sleeping on the floor. As other reviewers have noted, the book is longer on advice about how to approach planning the trip than on specifics of Web sites or particular vendors, but it's excellent advice.

Don't waste your time or money on this book. First of all it tells you not to bother going to London if you have children under 10. Excuse me? The title is therefore misleading. Here are some samples of thier "novel" advice: split up your group if you can't decide where to go. Pack a lunch when planning a day of sight-seeing. I spent 10 days in London with a 20 month old and 4 year old and did very well by Rick Steves' book. This one stayed in the apt. There are no websites listed for any of their recomendations, where as Rick will set you up.

My mother and I will be in London for one week with four of her grand-children in their twenties. We are using this book as our planning guide before arriving in London. This is the only book of the many I checked out from the library that I am buying. It is easy to understand and covers the main points of interest. I've been to London before but I needed help being the tour guide. We will be concerned with money, time and interest of the different personalities. This book was written for younger children but I think it is for families of any age.

My wife and I and our two kids (7 and 11) had an enjoyable and affordable vacation in London recently. We used "London for Families" as a guide for budgeting and itinerary, then took it along for ideas on what to do and see in London. It's a well-written, well-organized guide book that sticks to its premise of providing information to help you plan an affordable, yet enjoyable visit to London. The author has a web site, the address of which is published in the book, that contains updates, corrections and clarifications. There, he also announces a similar book in the works on Paris. Buy it!

This is a wonderful book for families traveling to London. I started to panic with the thought of planning a trip to London for my family. After reading this book, I really felt calmer. There is wonderful information for traveling with children and also wonderful general travel information. I even used the travel agent that Larry recommended in his book!