Already as an international student at my home institution, I am also participating in the General Course programme at LSE. I believe this “double studying abroad” situation is common among GC students. It is also common, unavoidable even, that we often have people visiting us while abroad. This “issue” becomes trickier for students like me, who have to host both visitors from our home countries AND our home institutions – how can we host them well when we are still visiting ourselves, and probably know no more about London than any tourists? 

Here are my suggestions for those who have similar concerns. Forget the touristy destinations – accommodate and impress your guests with an image of you being an “authentic Londoner”, and leave them a great memory. 

1. Go to local shops that are within a 10-minute-walk from your residence

Bring your guests to the “little gems” around where you live and introduce your neighbourhood along the way. They will immediately feel immersed in casual, living conditions rather than turning on their “tourist mode”. Whether its a coffee shop, a bakery, a book shop, a restaurant, or even a convenience store, the point is proximity. Show them your everyday even if its not all that glamorous.

2. Go to a pub

Pubs are a quintessential part of British culture. Anyone coming from another country wouldn’t see so many pubs with the majority of them getting lively from about 4pm. So go ahead, bring your guests to a pub with a weird name. Introduce them to the distinctive architectural style of pubs; wooden beams, thatched roofs, with warm-lit and cosy interiors. Buy them a pint of “weekly special draft beer.” If you dare, stand outside on the pavement, making the windowsill your table – makes you more “native”, at least in the eyes of your guests!

3. Go on a day trip to another city

What makes you more of a “local” than this? It conveys to your guests the impression that you are already too familiar with London that you have to visit somewhere else for stimulation. Of course, more than simply a performative act, going to another city with your guests is also a showcase of affection that you wish to explore new places with them.

Nobody would blame a visiting student for not knowing the city well enough – we are only here for a year! Its about the finding different ways of taking people around without relying on standardised tourist activities like sightseeing buses or London Eye rides – although these are great too!