London City Hall in the Docklands District; (c) Javier Martinez
London Travel Tips
London is a wonderful city to visit since there are so many things to do. If cold weather is an issue for you, then visit London during the spring and summer. If you want to save money and see fewer tourists, then visit London during the winter and fall.
The Basics
Passports are necessary for U.S. citizens.
London uses Military Time (24-hour clock) and dates are written day/month/year, so don’t get confused by the difference.
The currency is the British Pound Sterling with major credit cards accepted by most establishments. Check the exchange rate before you leave, but don’t bring too much cash. Simply use one of the many ATMs when you arrive at the airport.
Time in London is five hours ahead of New York City.
English is the official language, but Americans may not understand every word.
Hotels have the most expensive rates on phone calls, so purchase a phone card for your international calls.
Post offices are located throughout the city with hours at 9 am-5:30 pm (Monday-Friday) and 9 am-noon (Saturday).
Banks are open from 9 am-5 pm Monday-Friday. ATMs are plentiful and the most convenient way to get British Pounds. The ATMs only accept 4-digit PIN numbers.
Most large stores are open 9 am-7 pm (Monday-Friday) and 9 am-5 pm (Saturday and Sunday).
Electricity is different than in the U.S., so bring an adapter and/or backup battery. Better hotels will typically have them too.
Black History Month is October which offers a large number of special events, lectures, and cultural activities.
Before leaving your hotel, check the weather report. London can have sunshine and rain on the same day.
Bring plenty of anti-bacterial wipes.
Great Britain has universal healthcare, so any emergency room care is usually just a small fee. The emergency telephone number is 999 or 112.
Major Holidays in London are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday, May Day, Christmas, and Boxing Day.
British Parliament at night; credit David Iliff/Wiki Commons
Flight to London
Confirm your flight at least 72 hours in advance. Flights average 6 hours from NYC and span up to 11 hours from LA.
Check the luggage policy for your airline.
Make a copy of your passport/flight itinerary/hotel reservations and leave it with someone at home. Also, carry an extra copy with you.
Request an exit row seat for more legroom.
Pack headache and other medicines in your hand luggage.
If you have a cold or problems with the inner ear changing air pressure, purchase the earplugs available at most airports or large pharmacies. Chewing gum helps.
If you are sitting in Coach Class, bring your a cold drink, sandwiches & salad for the long flight.
Bring plenty of magazines and books for entertainment, but pack efficiently.
Drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration. Alcohol alone, caffeine, and cola drinks are the worst things to drink on a long flight.
Wear regular pantyhose that fit you properly on long flights. Control top pantyhose may cause swelling in the legs and ankles during the flight.
Circulation is very important. Make sure you walk around a little and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. For the economy traveler, this may mean putting everything in the storage compartment above, with the exception of your purse.
Bring neck pillows and eye masks.
Women’s Safety
Use the normal precautions when dealing with British men you don’t know well. Brits are not overly aggressive compared to men in France or Italy but always proceed with caution.
Use common sense when walking around. Sisters traveling alone should assume they are traveling in a major U.S. city and take the necessary precautions.
Pickpockets don’t fit a profile, so use care in tourist attraction areas and use public transportation. Seek help or information only from official personnel in train stations, tourist offices, tour bus drivers, airport information desk, airline employees, hotel desk clerks, etc.
Crime happens but it is not overly violent as in some major U.S. cities.
It is illegal to own a gun unless you go through a lot of trouble with permits and annual tests. Consequently, most people don’t own guns.
Most London police don’t have guns.
Clothes
Locals dress from casual (jeans and t-shirt) to ultra chic. Generally, most travel books recommend that you should dress well. This is good advice if you are not planning to ride the Underground (Tube) many times during the day, walking long distances or going to tourist attractions. During the hot summer months, wearing jeans and a T-shirt is acceptable. In the wintertime, bring lots of layered clothing, i.e. sweaters and scarves because temperatures can dip into the 20s and teens overnight.
Pack several pairs of good walking shoes, which will help while exploring a city that covers more than 600 square miles.
After you arrive in London, pay attention to how the locals are dressed on the Underground (Metro system). You may want to dress similarly.
Communication
Pay for extra minutes on your iPhone, insight, and international sim card for other smartphones, and use WhatsApp when you have a good WiFi connection.
When there’s a good WiFi connection, Apple FaceTime should work fine.
If you are bringing a laptop or hair appliance from the United States, purchase an adapter so you can plug it into the electrical outlets, which are different from those in the States. You can buy adaptors at large electronics stores in the U.S. or at International Airports.
Money & Valuables
If your European trip includes visits to other countries, remember the Euro is the official currency in most of Europe but not in Great Britain. You can convert your U.S. dollars into Euros to spend in France, Italy, and Germany, but Great Britain only takes the British Pound.
The conversion rates for the Pound and the Euro are very different. Tailor your buying habits accordingly.
Bring at least one ATM card and a credit card from the U.S. Use the ATM card to get Pounds since they usually have a better rate than many currency exchange offices. Your ATM card should have a code of 4 digits.
If you don’t use a money belt, place your money in hidden pockets or deep inside your bag, so that it’s hard for pickpockets. Pickpockets in London are some of the best in the world, so be careful. Put only things that you are willing to lose in your visible pockets. When walking around London, carry a little cash, a credit card, a driver’s license, and a copy of your passport for identification. It’s easier to replace a stolen driver’s license than an original U.S. passport.
Store your original passport, extra money, plane ticket, list of credit card/ATM card customer service phone numbers, and other valuables in the locked hotel safe.
Interactions With Locals of African Descent
Many sisters and brothers living in London are from English-speaking African and Caribbean countries. Don’t expect local Sisters and Brothers to greet you the same way that they do in the United States. If you want to see many people of African Descent concentrated in one area, check out Brixton and Brighton.
Step off a bus or subway train in most traditionally Black neighborhoods in U.S. cities, and all you see is us. One sister was surprised at the ethnic diversity of Brixton on a Sunday afternoon. A few black faces stood out in a predominately White crowd. She encountered more Black people while walking deeper into the neighborhood, especially after stopping at the Brixton Community Centre. There, children and youth were gathered for a special religious ceremony that was heavily attended by family and friends; everyone was black. Subsequently, she learned that the white population of Brixton outnumbers its black population by more than two to one.