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London is a huge city, over thirty miles across at its widest point, and rather than being one massive metropolis, it's often described as a number of villages joined together. Whilst much of the tourist attention is focussed on the famous central regions, a trip to the outskirts offers just as much interest, and an opportunity to escape the tourist trap.
Thankfully, London has great transport connections, whether you use the underground or the bus. A good base for tourists is south central, particularly with plenty of good value Kensington hotels through the likes of Millennium hotels. From South Kensington, for example, it's easy to get out to the outer boroughs, and still enjoy the city centre. Barking and Dagenham In east London lies the borough of Barking and Dagenham which is best known for its ancient Anglo-Saxon Abbey which was built all the way back in 666AD. Nowadays the Abbey is not much more than a very attractive ruin, and is the central venue for Barking Carnival, which is definitely worth a look if you're in the capital in May. Barnet Head out north to Barnet if you're into aeroplanes. Barnet claims to be the birthplace of British aviation and nowadays boasts the fantastic RAF Museum with boasts over 70 full-sized aircraft. If you fancy getting a bit more hands on there's a flight simulator, and a jet trainer to get to grips with. On a completely different note, Barnet also has some of the best sushi in the capital...so worth a visit if you love your seafood. Ealing Almost directly between Heathrow Airport and central London, Ealing is, nonetheless, one of London's prettiest boroughs and is best known for its enormous jazz festival which takes place every August. Best of all, the Festival is completely free, with performances taking place at lunch time and during the evenings in Walpole Park. Richmond Perhaps the best well-known of the outer London Boroughs Richmond has London's biggest park, a broad chunk of the River Thames, and Hampton Court Palace and Kew Gardens, both of which are major tourist destinations. Kew has the largest collection of living plants anywhere in the world and stretches over 121 hectares. The treetop walkway is a particularly favourite, although it can be a little disconcerting as it was built to move with the wind, and another favourite is the famous Pagoda which is one of Kew's original buildings. London's outer boroughs have just as much to offer, if not more, than the central parts of the city, and each has its own unique community and atmosphere. Whilst you can visit the city and have a great time without ever leaving zone's 1 and 2, it's only when you get to the outskirts that you really get a taste for London, and you'll enjoy some amazing sites as well. 
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