Planning for London: The Indispensable Companion To Your Guidebook

By Chris Dworin

Planning for London - The Indispensable Companion To Your Guidebook gives you the information you need to deal with the hundreds of practicalities involved with planning your trip and getting the most out of your experience while you’re in London.

Whatever guidebook to London you’re relying on will have some information about how to get around the city, what museum passes are available, etc., and may touch on practicalities. But, they never go far enough!

It’s easy for those other guidebooks to say “pack light” or “Take the tube into the city”. It’s a whole other thing to be a mystified tourist, jet-lagged, in a place you don’t know, surrounded by people who speak an English you might not understand, trying to figure it all out on the fly. You want to have a blast on your vacation, or a successful business trip without using up your entire anxiety quotient just trying to exchange money or get to your hotel. The solution is Planning for London - The Indispensable Companion To Your Guidebook.

This guide’s different. It’s a step-by-step planning tool and a detailed reference guide for all those decisions you’re going to be making (even though you didn’t realize it!) about:

a)Which museum and transportation passes and tickets are worth buying, and which aren’t
b)Where and how to buy your Euros
c)What to pack and what to leave home
d)What preparations to make for any phones, tablets, computers or other electronics you plan to bring

That’s just the start. We cover the myriad details that will help you save hundreds of dollars and countless hours of wasted time in London. And, as a bonus, we’ve included over 100 photos of London!

You’ll find the following helpful information and detailed descriptions:

a)How to use the tube, buses, trains, and more
b)How to get to and from the airports
c)How to protect yourself from scammers and pickpockets
d)Suggestions for preparing your home for your absence
e)A checklist for your final day at home
f)Maps of the critical transit points
g)Important phone numbers to have handy
h)Handy apps to have on your phone/tablet
i)Handy words and phrases in case of emergency
j)How much and whom to tip
k) A letter for your kids to carry in case they get separated from you

The sooner you start using this guide, the easier your trip planning will be, but most of the content is just as useful once you’ve arrived in London. So, be sure to take this guide with you as a reference tool!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Dworin
• Release date: Mar 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310456640

Chris Dworin

I've been a travel bug for a long, long, time. It all began when my father, a schoolteacher, took us to Paris for a year on his sabbatical when I was 7. My first recollection of that trip was flying across the Atlantic on a Lockheed Constellation, a four-propellor plane that had to stop in Greenland to refuel. Seven years later we went on another sabbatical year to Paris, where I was enrolled in a French public school. That trip we made our way across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary. Funny story about how the ship got its name; see the end of this bio! :) As an adult the travel bug lay dormant until my early 30's, and then kicked in with a vengeance and I started taking long vacations every year or so throughout Europe, parts of Asia, and North America. Some of the highlights of my lifetime of travel were visiting Mount Athos on Greece's northern border, driving 2,000 km around Turkey during the first Gulf War (I was one of the very few tourists there at the time), spending Golden Week in Nara, Japan, four months of living and traveling in New Zealand with my darling wife, traveling throughout France and England, visiting Prague and Budapest before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and crossing through Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin just after the Wall was built, among so many other wonderful memories. I also managed to carve out another year in Paris to celebrate my 40th birthday, talking my employer--the University of California--into letting me telecommute from Paris for the year. That was long before the internet made that kind of thing easy! That love of travel eventually culminated in the launch of Trekkel (www.trekkel.com), a personalized travel planner that helps you decide on the sights, restaurants, activities, shops and hotels you plan to visit. We've been featured in the NY Times travel section, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, International Business Times, Travel Weekly, Smarter Travel, and many more. So, I've had some experience with guidebooks, and one of the things that they never quite covered to my satisfaction were the details behind the practical information they'd impart. The guidebook would tell me, for instance, to pick up the airport bus on a certain street. Then I'd waste 10 minutes frantically wandering around trying to find the exact location before the bus left without me. Or, I'd have friends ask about museum passes, and I'd spend some time discovering that there were many options, and which was best depended on their particular circumstances. So, I decided to pull together all this information and more into one comprehensive guide to those practicalities. That's how Planning for Paris - The Indispensable Companion To Your Guidebook was born. I hope that this will be the first of a series covering major cities. I hope that you'll use the Planning for Paris guide, and Trekkel. Please do let me know if you do, and if you have any feedback for me. I'd appreciate hearing it! Of course, I've done other things in my life: attorney, ceramic artist and sculptor (www.paxceramica.com), author, editor, and inventor among them. But, I keep on traveling. Now here's that story about how the Queen Mary got its name. The shipping line (Cunard and White-Star LInes) had usually given its ships a name ending in "ia" (the Laconia, the Mauretania, the Aquitania, etc.). When the Queen Mary was built, it was to be christened by the King of England at a big ceremony. His plan was to name it The Queen Victoria. But as he waxed on during his speech about how he was naming the ship after the greatest queen in British history, his wife (Queen Mary) jumped in before he could finish and said something along the lines of "How wonderful! You're naming the ship after me--the Queen Mary". To avoid extreme embarrassment and family discord, presumably, the king decided he'd better go with the flow, and that's how the Queen Mary got its name!

Book preview

The Indispensable Travel Companion guides are a new series of hyper-practical guidebooks designed to help the traveler cope with the nitty gritty details that most guidebooks gloss over.

It’s easy for those other guidebooks to say pack light or mind the gap. It’s a whole other thing to be a mystified tourist, jet-lagged, in a place you don’t know, surrounded by people who often are visiting London themselves, trying to figure it all out on the fly. You want to have a blast on your vacation, or a successful business trip, without using up your entire anxiety quotient just trying to exchange money or get to your hotel. The solution is Planning for London - The Indispensable Companion To Your Guidebook.

The Indispensable Travel Companion is all about the details. We’ll help you prepare in advance and cope on the spot with the practicalities that can be such torture and so time-consuming when you’re unprepared, but so easy when you’re ready for it.

This guide’s different. It’s a step-by-step planning tool and a detailed reference guide for all those decisions you’re going to be making (even though you didn’t realize it!) about:

a) Which museum and transportation passes and tickets are worth buying, and which aren’t,

b) Where and how to buy your British Pounds,

c) What to pack and what to leave home,

d) What preparations to make for any phones, tablets, computers or other electronics you plan to bring,

e) How to use the tube, buses, taxis, and trains,

f) How to get to and from the airports,

g) How to protect yourself from scammers and pickpockets,

That’s just the start. We cover the myriad details that will help you save hundreds of dollars and countless hours of wasted time in London.

Along with detailed descriptions, you’ll find:

a) Suggestions for preparing your home for your absence

b) A checklist for your final day at home

c) Maps of the critical transit points,

d) Lists of important numbers to have handy,

e) Handy apps to have on your phone/tablet,

f) Handy words and phrases for navigating public transportation

The sooner you start using this guide, the easier your trip planning will be, but most of the content is just as useful once you’ve arrived in London. So, be sure to take this guide with you as a reference tool!

Though this guide is not a traditional one, focused on sights and activities, we’re going to salt it with photos we’ve taken of London, just to whet your appetite.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.01 – A) Specific Preparations – Planning Timetables

There’s no lack of information available on the web and in published books about what to pack and things that you should consider preparing before you go, but they rarely get specific enough, and they almost never take into account the timing.

When you’re going to a foreign country you can wing it and just show up (as long as you have a passport and a ticket!), but a lack of timely preparation means: 1) you may be out in the cold because you didn’t reserve; and 2) you may have to pay double for necessaries that you could have bought at home; 3) you may end up staying far from the things you’re doing and spending significant time just getting around.

So, we’ve come up with a very specific list of suggestions for what to start preparing Three+ months ahead; Two+ months ahead, One+ month ahead, Two+ weeks ahead, 24 hours before you leave, and what to do to get by on the day you arrive.

These aren’t absolute schedules, but they will give you a much better idea of how to prioritize your planning time.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.02 - 1. Three+ Months Before Departure

To get the most out of your trip, it helps to start thinking about what you’re going to do in London, and how you’re going to do it. A few things are best tackled far ahead of time. We’ve put those in the 3+ months before departure category.

1) Reserve Flight (Section 1.03)

2) Reserve Train (Section 1.04)

3) Develop Personalized Travel Plan (Section 1.05)

4) Reserve Accommodations (Sections 1.06 – 1.11)

5) Reserve Restaurants (Section 1.12)

6) Get/Renew/Verify Passport (Section 1.13)

7) Vaccinations (if you're traveling outside of England) (Section 1.14)

8) Visas (If you're traveling outside of England) (Section 1.15)

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.03 - A. Reserve Flight

Many studies have looked at the optimal time to land the best plane fares for future flights, and they don’t agree with one another. If you have limited flexibility in terms of when you want to go, you should consider booking 3 or more months in advance to make sure you will be able to get a reservation when you need to go.

Airlines are getting better at filling their flights. So, don’t play Russian roulette and risk having to pay astronomical prices, or find that there are no seats left.

There are dozens of flight booking services, including Orbitz, Expedia, and Kayak, and it’s always good to compare. But, we recommend Skyscanner. It’s a bit different from the other online booking giants you may know. They work directly with the airlines and selected travel agencies to get you the very best rates, and those rates are often substantially lower than you'll find anywhere else!

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.04 - B. Reserve Train

If you’re going to arriving in London by train, you’ll want to make sure to reserve in advance. Some trains require advance reservations. And, even if your train trip isn’t one of them, it’s best to avoid the risk of the train being full. Plus, you often get to select your seats, and face in the direction you want.

If you’re coming via train from the continent, then you’re likely to be taking the Eurostar, which will leave from its last continental stop—Paris—and arrive at St. Pancras International train station in London (Section 9.14).

If you’re arriving from any other part of Great Britain, instead of from the continent, be sure to check which London rail station will welcome that train. See Section 9.13.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.05 - C. Develop Personalized Travel Plan

You could just show up in London without any pre-planning, pick a hotel because it’s cheap or you know someone who stayed there, then go outside and look around for the great sights you’ve heard of. But, there really is a better way.

Note: Most people do their planning backwards, by picking a hotel first. Why is that backwards? Let’s back up a second. What is it you want to get out of your vacation? Whatever your answer to that question, we’re pretty sure that spending hours a day just getting from one thing you want to do to another is not high on your list.

So, here’s a modest suggestion. First, figure out the things that are most important to you to see and do in London—the things that you would truly regret if you went home without seeing and doing them. Plot those listings on a map. The goal is to book accommodations near enough to those things that you can spend as much time as possible enjoying the sights, and as little time as possible in transit. There are, literally, hundreds of guidebooks and online guides to London that can help you do this initial planning.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.06 - D. Reserve Accommodations

In general, accommodations closer to the center of the city cost more, as do bookings during the high season (roughly May to mid-September plus Christmastime) and the shoulder season (March to April and mid-September to November). Your best rates and easiest booking times are during the low season in January and February, but you’ll be facing cold and wet weather not terribly conducive to a happy tourist experience.

Remember: First get an idea what you’re going to do in London. See Section 1.05. Then you’ll be able to pick a well-located accommodation!

You’ll have to weigh the extra expense of being close to the center against the added convenience of being able to walk to the things you want most to see. Particularly if your vacation is a short one, we strongly encourage you to get a hotel close to the things you’ll most want to do; otherwise you’ll be spending far too much of your vacation time just getting around.

As with most big cities, you’ve got five basic possibilities for accommodations: 1) Hotels (Section 1.07), 2) Bed & Breakfasts and Inns (Section 1.08), 3) Private stay (Section 1.09), 4) Vacation stay apartments (Section 1.10), and 5) Home exchanges (Section 1.11).

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.07 - i. Hotels

Hotels in London are expensive—VERY expensive. If you are going any time between May and September, expect to pay high rates. The further ahead of time you book, the more likely you can find one of the cheaper alternatives (in the £80 - £90 range). But London is definitely a get-what-you-pay-for place. Most good hotels during high season are going to be in the £150 - £350 range, and the later you book, the higher the rates are likely to be.

Note: when you book, verify what the cancelation policy is, and whether the rate includes breakfast.

There are hundreds of booking sites, so, by all means check your favorites. If they’re not already on your list, you might try HotelsCombined or TripAdvisor for a good selection and decent rates.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.08 - ii. Bed & Breakfasts, and Inns

London has hundreds of Bed and Breakfasts and Inns, but surprisingly few of them are near the core area where most of the tourist sites are. If you prefer these to hotels, then check BedandBreakfast.com or TripAdvisor for a good selection. Prices are often in the £50 to £100 range.

As is true in all big western cities, the breakfast part of bed and breakfast can vary widely. But, keep in mind that a traditional Full English breakfast (also called a full monty or a fry-up usually features sausage and bacon (either American-style bacon or the meatier back bacon, which is called Irish or Canadian bacon in the US), eggs, baked beans, cooked tomatoes, and fried bread. There are many variants, described more fully here.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.09 - iii. Private Stay

This option is becoming increasingly popular because prices are generally lower (or much lower!) than for hotels, and you often get much more for your money. The biggest name in the field is AirBnB, which lists a continually changing portfolio of 1,000+ places in London—either rooms in a shared apartment or house, or entire apartments and houses, as well as other specialized possibilities, like stays on a houseboat. These are privately owned houses or apartments whose owners list them on the website. Many of the listings are in core tourist areas, and there’s a great deal of variety. You might also try CouchSurfing.com and HomeAway.

There are many advantages to private stays beyond the lower prices: you often have access to a kitchen and more space than a hotel room would provide. Hotel rooms tend to be somewhat cookie cutter, where private stay accommodations can often be more quirky and interesting. And, if you’re renting just a room in a flat, shared with the owner or others, the owner will often be very helpful (and more accessible than a hotel’s concierge) in chatting with you about London. If you don’t like the feeling of living in someone else’s space, you might prefer to stay in a vacation apartment (Section 1.10).

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.10 - iv. Vacation Stay Apartments

These apartments general fall between hotel rooms and private stay accommodations in terms of price. Often more spacious than hotel rooms, these can be good choices for a family. They’re usually exclusively used to house tourists and travelers looking to stay longer than a few days. Like hotel rooms, they tend to be impersonal, and don’t have all of the personal décor and furnishings that you’ll often find in private stay accommodations. You may or may not find that preferable to staying in someone else’s home. Check out VRBO, Home from Home and TripAdvisor, among others.

Copyright (c) Chris Dworin 2015 All Rights Reserved

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1.11 - v. Home Exchanges

For the ultimate in inexpensive accommodations, you might consider swapping places with someone who has a house or apartment where you want to spend your vacation. Generally speaking, you don’t pay any rent during your stay, though you will have to pay the relatively low fees charged by the service you are using to arrange the swap.

The biggest advantages are the savings, and the possibility of getting to stay in a much nicer house or apartment than you would be able to afford if you were paying per night. There’s also the possibility that you’ll be given access to a car or boat to use.

Note: If you are going to be spending all or most of your time in London, you are almost certainly not going to want to have a car. See Section 4.03 on some of the challenges with driving in London. But, if you plan to take outings outside of London