8 Helpful Tips for Traveling to London

London is a super popular city for tourists and travelers from all over the world. More than 20 million people visit the city every year.

I know, because most of them were at Westminster Abbey the day I visited. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVyLQFMW0sk

Prepare for People

Big crowds of people are one thing you should expect if you're also going to visit London. There are lots of people here any time of year you visit, because the current population in the city is just under 10 million people. 

No matter what time of year you visit, the streets and attractions will be crowded. Be prepared to wait in line, which people in England call a queue. 

I recommend visiting during what's called the shoulder season, which is spring and fall. London is at its most crowded in summer and that's when everything is at its most expensive. In winter, some attractions will be closed. 

But no matter when you visit London, be sure to carry an umbrella or a rain poncho with you every day that you're in the city.

Prepare for Weather

I also suggest carrying a jacket or sweatshirt with you even on warm days, because the weather can change quickly. 

Getting used to London weather has been a particular challenge for me because 70 degrees in London does not feel like 70 degrees in Louisville, where I'm from.

Very cold winds breeze through London from Scandinavia, which is like Norway and Denmark and Sweden, and they will cut right through you. The Viking wind makes 70 degrees feel much colder, and I got caught out without a jacket and actually had to purchase one. Carry something with you, so you don't end up spending extra money like me. 

When I travel, I like to pack a tote bag with essentials like a poncho and snacks, a portable phone charger and my passport. So throw some extra piece of clothing in your bag as well in case the Viking winds invade London while you're there. 

Yes, that is a joke based on the Viking raids from the 700s and yes, it still holds up. 

Travel Documents

When you travel internationally, keep your passport on you at all times. No one cares about your driver's license. Have your passport.

Before you ever go to London, unless you are already living in Europe, you have to have a passport and as of 2025, you need a special visitor visa. 

This is a newer thing for England and it's very easy to do online. It will cost about 14 dollars American and you should get it within 24 hours. The visa is digital,  so you don't even have to wait for the mail to get to your house.

You will also want to buy some stuff before you go to London, and I don't mean sunglasses and walking shoes. 

Though, you do need those so make sure you have those.

No, I'm talking about your phone, your small appliances, your devices, anything you might want to plug into a wall. If you are an American, a European who doesn't live in the UK, or anyone else not in England, you are going to need a special converter plug doodad.

Yes, doodad is the technical name.

Travel Gear

England uses a different power voltage than America and many other countries around the world. 

That means you can't take your regular phone charger and stick it in the wall. You need a converter. You'll plug this into the wall in England, then plug your phone or devices or hair tools or whatever you've got into that. 

Make sure you have a converter that is specifically made to include England and not one that is just generally for Europe, because England has their own thing going on, so converters for Europe won't work. 

Language

Once you get to England, you will notice some particular quirks and differences here if you are an American. 

You might think that since it's England and presumably if you're coming from America you speak English, there won't be any kind of language barrier.

You're wrong. England speaks its own brand of English that includes a lot of slang words Americans don't use. They also use many words differently and sometimes in unexpected ways. Pronunciations are very different, particularly when it comes to place names. 

So, if you're looking at something on a map and you think you know how to say it, you're probably wrong.

Let me give you some examples. 

Greenwich

This is an easy one because it's also a neighborhood in New York, so probably you know this is pronounced as grin-inch. 

Southwark

How bout this one though? It looks like south wark. They say this word as Suthurk. Suth-urk. It doesn't look like you'd say it like that but that is how they say it.

Spitalfields

How about this one? Being not just from the United States but being from the southern United States, I want to pronounce this with a long I and say spite-all-fields. Because that is how it is spelled. They say Spitalfields with a short I sound, like spit-a-fields.

And that's something to keep in mind when you're working with British English. They do not draw words out the way we do in the south. Words are clipped and short and said very quickly in British English. Words with long spellings are pronounced short. Vowels and sounds are not drawn out. 

Gloucester

Like this one right here. I look at this and say glou-sess-ster. They pronounce this as glou-ster. 

Cheshire

Here's another. It's not chess-ire. It’s chess-sure. 

Leicester 

This is the worst of them. This is not lie-cess-ster. It's Lester. How they're getting Lester from this spelling is a secret known only to the British, but this is how they say it.

Y'all thought I was messing with you, didn't you? Words in England are not pronounced the way they look. 

So, if you hop in a cab and you want to go to one of these places, try your best to pronounce it the way they pronounce it…or the cabbie may not know what you are saying.

There are lots of small language differences that can really make things confusing, so I'll just give you some quick basics. 

A booking is a reservation. Rubbish is trash and a bin is a trash can. A queue is a line and a quid is a British pound. 

In the U.S., we have a lot of slang words for dollar. You may say five bucks, five bones. In England, the word quid is used interchangeably with pound. So if something costs five quid, it's five pounds. 

They don't use the Euro in London, they use the pound, so make sure you've got the right money with you.

Cabbies

When it comes to getting around London, or really anywhere you travel, I recommend using public transportation. London has a great public transport system. You can hop on a bus or a subway and get pretty much anywhere. 

But if you do take a cab, you'll find out that everything you've heard about London cabbies is true. London cabbies are experts when it comes to their city. Ask them any question and you'll get an answer. They can go anywhere and they can give you directions for any place you want to be.

It actually takes two to three years to become a cabbie in London. They have to do a ton of studying and take tests and by the time they hit the road, they have an extensive knowledge of the city and its landmarks. If you’re lost, if you want a recommendation for where to eat or what to do, ask a cabbie. They can absolutely help you. 

City Wildlife

London has a boatload of parks. I went to several of them and they are beautiful and they are free, which we love here. So,  I highly recommend visiting some of these parks when you go to London. 

But leave all the animals you find there alone. City officials do not want tourists or residents feeding the wildlife and I think there's even still a law on the books that prohibits you from touching the King's pelicans in St. James Park. 

Public Toilets

Another thing you should know when visiting London, particularly if you're visiting public areas like parks, the bathrooms are not always free. 

London has paid toilets, which is something I never encountered before. They are not expensive, typically less than a dollar or, to be British about it, a pound. 

However, it is still odd you pay for admission for the public bathroom as if it's a hot place to be. 

Avoid this by looking for a pub. You definitely won't have much trouble finding one of those in London no matter where you are and toilets in pubs are free. They're also pretty nice. London has very good public facilities, so if you can hold out for a few minutes, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a free place to go…when you need to go.

So, now you've got some basic tips to help you if you're planning a trip to London. The more you know about the little quirks of the city, the easier it will be for you to have fun while you're here.

Thank you for taking the journey with me. 

Now, Voyager, sail forth to seek and find.