About BackpackLondon
Independent UK travel guides built on real experience, honest recommendations, and transparent affiliate partnerships.
Why we built this
Too many travel sites rank well in Google but tell you nothing useful. Thin affiliate copy dressed up as advice, “best hotels” lists based on commission rates, and guides written by people who have never visited the places they describe.
BackpackLondon is the site we wished existed. We cover 23+ UK destinations with the depth and honesty that travellers deserve: from London's neighbourhoods to Edinburgh's closes, Bath's crescents to York's snickelways.
Every guide is researched, written, and fact-checked against the editorial standards we publish openly. We earn money through affiliate links when you book through our recommendations. We disclose this clearly on every page. We never accept payment to feature or rank any property.
What we stand for
Editorial independence
Hotels and tour operators cannot pay for a review, a recommendation, or a higher ranking. Our editorial decisions are based on merit, not money.
Honest affiliate model
We earn commissions when you book through our links. We disclose this clearly and it never influences what we recommend.
Real UK expertise
We cover destinations we know. Our guides reflect genuine experience of the cities, attractions, and areas we write about.
Transparency first
Every page shows when it was last updated. Every affiliate link is disclosed. We tell you how we make money and why that matters.
How we create our guides
Research & writing
Every guide starts with thorough research: visiting destinations, reading local sources, verifying opening hours, prices, and practical details. We use AI tools to assist with research and initial drafting, which allows us to cover more destinations at greater depth.
AI-assisted, human-verified
We believe in being upfront: some of our content is assisted by AI tools. This helps us research faster and cover more ground. Every guide is then reviewed and fact-checked against our editorial standards before publication. AI helps with scale; humans ensure accuracy and quality.
Kept up to date
Travel content goes stale quickly. We regularly review and update our guides to ensure prices, opening hours, and recommendations stay current. Every page shows a "last updated" date so you can judge how fresh the information is.
The BackpackLondon Editorial Team
Some pieces (evergreen city overviews, “{city} vs {city}” comparisons, and seasonal explainers) are produced collaboratively by the editorial team rather than a single named author. Work under this byline has been reviewed by at least two members of the relevant regional desk before publication.
Individual contributors are named on every piece that reflects a single author's reporting or opinion.
Meet the writers behind the bylines →How we review hotels & tours
Our hotel and tour reviews represent genuine editorial assessments. We do not accept complimentary stays or free tickets in exchange for coverage. When we include affiliate links, we select providers based on reliability, fair pricing, and cancellation terms: not commission rates.
Read our full review methodology