Now the national lockdown has lifted, there are plenty of things that you can do during the break if you have decided to stay in London for the break.

Published Wednesday, 16th December, 2020 in University news

Now the national lockdown has lifted, there are plenty of things that you can do during the break if you have decided to stay in London for the break. We have put together a list of things that you can do whether you plan on staying in at home or going out in the City.

If you’re staying in

  • Start a reading challenge -  This is a great way to boost your literary intake. Goodreads is a platform that allows you to set and track a reading target for the year. You can also connect with like-minded fans for reading recommendations.
  • Listen up - Subscribe to those podcasts you've been pretending to listen to! There’s a range of recommendations from the Student Union or you can check this list of the best podcasts to listen to from Esquire to broaden your general knowledge about cultures, history and current affairs around the world.
  • Learn and develop your skills – The winter break is a good time to learn new skills or pursue your interests. And you can do so with many free online courses!
    • Painting can be a very soothing way to zone out from uni work. Now there is a new way of painting a whole canvas on  "Paint-By-numbers". It relieves stress and reveal your creative side.
    • Learn new languages from several different platforms from applications, such as Duolingo, which offers different language practices for free.
    • Try out new cooking recipes – There’s plenty of tutorials and sources for your favorite recipes. You can also check out this BBC page for cooking tips and recipes for students that are easy and cheap to make.
    • There are other useful skills that you can learn to boost your employability, such as photography, blogging, coding, amongst others. You can find many free courses to boost these skills on FutureLearn.
  • Organize your notes for your revisions for the January examinations. It’s always better to start your preparation early. You can find more revision and studying tips and techniques here.
  • Meet and connect with new people – Meeting and connecting with people during the pandemic can be difficult. Butthere’s still plenty of opportunities to meet and connect with people from joining virtual communities andvolunteering.

If you’re going out

  • Do some exercise – You can visit Citysport and take some exercise classes or go out for an exercise or a walk at these parks and outdoor spaces and enjoy the scenery. This is a good way to maintain your health and wellbeing.
  • Venues and attractions are now open after the lockdown. You can visit museums and galleries, go shopping and eat out at restaurants and pubs. You can also plan your holiday within the UK and here are some tips and ideas. TimeOut London have written an article about restaurants which have outdoor spaces you can book for groups of up to 6 people
  • Go around London to see the Christmas lights - Secret London have listed some places for you to see the Christmas lights around the City
  • Go and see your favourite shows at the theatre - Official London Theatre have uploaded information about how you can go and see your favourite shows at the theatre safely.

Make sure you keep up to date with the Government guidelines on how to stay safe and check local restrictions in your areas.