20 Top Tips and Things to Do & See When in London

After spending a day in London as a tourist there was a lot of little things I wanted to add into that post, but it was starting to get a bit long. Since I have moved to the UK I have visited London several times for various reasons and there are things I have learned and experienced that I feel like I can write an informed post of tips, tricks, and other things to see/do there.

There isn't any order to these just things I started to type up as I thought of them during the writing of my London tourist post. If you have anything to add please leave a comment below! I'm always looking for little things that make exploring and experiencing a city easier and more efficient!

Enough rambling here is ....

1. Book tickets a head of time for shows and things you want to see. 
2. Spend one day getting lost. (If you have more then one day.)
3. See the city from above as well as below (Sky Garden (free) or London Eye (not free) or The Gherkin (not sure))
4. Bring a waterproof jacket/coat with a hood. No one really wants to be messing around with an umbrella, the wind usually breaks them anyway. Waterproof bags are also useful. One that folds up in your bag is useful now that all plastic bags cost 5p. Summers can be warm, bring sun screen! 
5. Walk - a lot of the famous touristy things to see are within walking distance of each other. 
6. A comfy pair of shoes and 
7. Comfy socks, with an extra pair in your bag in case you step in a puddle. 
8. Keep a water bottle with you. 
9. General tip for eating out - ask for tap water it's free. 
10. There are some great restaurants in London, but if you happen to grab a McDonald's because of time and convenience don't beat yourself up over it. 
11. Bag - roomy without being too big, preferably one that goes across your body for safety and saves you from losing it. Or a backpack that can be secured in front. 
12. Museums are free - donate odd change if you have any to keep them free! 
13. Some (not all) toilets cost 20p so keep some change on you in case of an emergency. 
14. Research - before you leave have a look at what’s going on. Different seasons have different events. e.g. Natural History Museum has an ice skating rink in the winter. 
15. See a show in the West End. 
16. Ride the tube - let it take you where you want to go or where you hadn’t expected!
17. Check out Big Ben - he’s a bell inside a clock, but he’s cool. 
18. Oyster Card, it’s the cheapest and easiest way to get around London. Don’t be scared of the underground, it’s super easy once you get the hang of it! Like I said let it take you where you need to go! 
19. Tips on Souvenirs - books and guide books will add weight, take down the isbn number and order the book once you get home - from experience you will never look at the guidebook again and no one back home wants to see it. Might sound harsh, but true. Find something small and inexpensive like magnets/postcards/mugs/possible t-shirt or something useful like a rain coat!
20. If traveling in a group if possible take a day to yourself to do what you want to do!

Five on Friday: 20 Tips on Traveling Abroad with Children under 10.

This was going to be 5 top tips on traveling with kids abroad, but it turned out I had a few more then that so even though it’s a Five on Friday it’s a 20 on Friday.

As a parent you know your child best you know what keeps them entertained and what sets them off. It’s this time to indulge them, with in reason of course. If they want to run around the plane clearly not a great idea but getting them out of their seat and walking around is a good idea.

Before flying: Things to check with your airline

Check with your airline for general information on suggested times to be at the airport. Currently it’s 3 hours ahead of time for flights abroad. I would suggest this anyway as it is one less thing to stress about.

Be aware of liquid limits. It is in my opinion to just not pack any liquid or lotions in your carry on. That includes make up things like mascara. If you can’t fly without lotion or hand sanitizers consider buying them once you get through security.  I’d rather spend a little extra then have to surrender the item just to have re-buy them later. If you do take them in your carry on make sure they are with in the limits, which is only about 100 ml’s and they are already in clear plastic bags.

Check to see what you can take as a carry-on. Make sure your bags are the right sizes. Sometimes you are aloud to take one bag and one purse/bag/coat/laptop bag/diaper bag. This all depends on your airline. Double check if a buggy/stroller is considered a carry-on or extra luggage as well.

Traveling with under 5’s:

1. Make sure you pack spare clothes and have a few plastic bags packed in your carry on for said dirty clothes.

2. Don’t forget about you!! Make sure you pack a spare shirt or two in your carry on, for the unexpected “accidents.”

3. Take an extra diaper/nappy or two; you know to be on the safe side.

4. Wipes are also a must! They not only clean up bottoms but sticky fingers too! 

5. Toys are a tricky one, because no matter what you bring they will want that one toy you left behind. Try choosing their favorite 1 or 2 toys and a couple of activity things. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas for your child’s age. A lot of airplanes show kids movies these days if you are lucky enough to have a child who sits for cartoons!

6. When going through security if there is a family line, use it. It’s just more forgiving when going through with children and buggies and numerous carry-ons.

7. Make sure they have easy on and off shoes. They may be asked to take them off.

8. Before boarding if your children have energy to spare let them let it out. With in reason and with regards to safety of course. It will be expected that they sit nicely for numerous hours depending on how long your flight, let them get it out.
   

Traveling with 5-10’s

9. Similar to above pack a spare outfit and pajamas in their bags along with extra socks and underwear. If your bags go missing you at least don’t have to rush out to buy new things right away. I also suggest doing this for you as well.

10. If your children read, pack a book that can be left behind if need be; same with coloring books and other activities.

11. With this age group pack less then you think you’ll need. Once they get to their new location they won’t want to play with that bag of toys they thought they couldn't go with out.

12. At this age you need to prep them for going through customs and make sure they know it isn't something to joke about.

General Tips: 

13. Dress them in comfy, but easy to change outfits. Socks are a must!

14. Bring chewy sweets or gum for older kids and bottles for babies (or breast feed on take-off and landings) to help with ears popping. My girls are fine on take off, but really terrible on landings.

15. Plane food isn't great - bring snacks and lunch type foods for your child. Avoid peanut butter for allergy reasons and any fruit brought on the plane must be consumed or left on plane. They will not allow you to bring fruit through customs.

16. Cups with lids are a must, but pack them empty same with bottles. Even for your older child get them a sports water bottle or something.

17. Embrace technology. Handheld gaming consoles and tablets are your friends.

18. Get them a comfy pair of headphones for above technology and for in air movies.

19. Encourage them to sleep, bring favorite blankets and/or stuffed animals if they need them to sleep and you have room in your carry on.

20. Don’t let anyone else get to you. You are allowed to fly with your children. Children are people too and they can’t be locked away until adulthood.

If you have flown abroad with your children what are things you wish you knew ahead of time? What did you learn worked and didn't work? I would love to hear your tips and tricks!

notes: These tips are based on my experience traveling with my daughters. We have flown when they were 2 and 8 months, again when they were 6 and 4. Both times we had some up’s and down’s, but mostly it went smoothly because I prepared ahead of time. Please check with your airline for any further help!  

Free Tips

If I were to share tips and experiences of blogging with you I wouldn’t know where to start.

It’s today’s topic.

I have been blogging for nearly 3 years, but have only really started taking it seriously just over a year ago.

There is so much to learn and when I think I have something figured out it changes. 

That’s sort of just life though isn’t it? Nothing stays the same it’s always moving.

I think about how much my blog has changed since I first started it. I had an idea, but I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go with it. 

It’s still changing as I write this. I am hoping to make a big change soon. More on that when I know more about that!

Here are my few tips for those who are thinking of starting a blog:

• You have to want to do it. You will only get out of it what you put in.
• Be prepared to change with new technology and to learn it.
• Social media is your friend. Try them all, but stick with the few that really help you. Unless of course you have a team of people behind your blog that can help keep on top of all social media.

notes: This post was written for day 15 of the Blog Every Day in May blogging challenge with Rosalilium. #BEDM I was going to make a cake and post it today, but the sun distracted me and Grimm (I’m so behind on season 2) I googled "free images" and this was the first image so I used it for this post.