London calling

[anise_anise]

Two posts in less than a week. Impressed? I sure as fuck am. I'm generally to lazy to sign in. I'm not sure if this is a sign of the end of the world, but I'm certainly not ruling it out.

So I'm going to London in a few days time, (I know, flying again, I have more medication so I should be okay) and I really really really could use any tips for

Comments

[secretsolitaire]

Haven't been to London in 10 years, but I love planning trips, so...

-How much does a cab cost from Heathrow to central London?
Info here. Sounds pricey. I can't imagine they'd be hard to find, as most airports have a big taxi waiting line and plenty of signs to guide you there.

The tube would be cheaper but would we be thrown off for bringing on all that luggage?

Nah. But if you're traveling during rush hour when the Tube might be standing room only, having all that luggage could be a huge hassle. A cab would likely be your most convenient option as it would take you exactly where you wanted to go, rather than taking a train and possibly transferring to another train or walking.

-Bellhops, do I tip them? How much? And what about restaurants and pubs? Same tipping policies as here?

Brits tip less than we do. Info here.

-If we get to the hotel before check in, will they store our bags til they can get us a room?

Yes, nearly all hotels will do this for you. You might call ahead of time just to be sure though.

-Do Londoners, in

[anise_anise]

Wow, thank you for all the info!!! Particularly on the tipping, because I had no damn idea that tipping there was so different. I feel very ignorant to everything. We don't do much travelling, obvs, and I've only been in a cab once (It was in New Orleans with dementordelta, I'm fairly certain the cabbie had just put down the crack pipe and we barely escaped with our lives) and I've never stayed at a hotel where they take your luggage to your rooms for you. The only subway I've ever dealt with was the one in DC and we had friends with us who knew what they were doing. It's all rather intimidating

[secretsolitaire]

I'm fairly certain the cabbie had just put down the crack pipe and we barely escaped with our lives

LOL! I've had cab rides like that.

I've never stayed at a hotel where they take your luggage to your rooms for you.

What they'll do is store the bags behind the desk or in a room somewhere -- they also will usually do this if you have a late flight and don't want to lug all your stuff around on your last day after you've checked out. In either case they'll give you a little thing (like a coat check) to verify how many bags you've left with them, and you present that at the front desk when you're ready to get the bags back.

Subways are generally fairly straightforward, especially when the signs are written in English, but if you're trying to minimize stress I'd just pay for the cab. (Some hotels have free airport shuttles -- might be worth asking before you shell out for the cab.)

All is well here, thanks for asking. I'm in the depths of trying to plan my own next trip. :-)

Reposting this in reply to your new comment because I'm

[anise_anise]

We will be flying in in the morning and can't check in til like three pm so it helps out to know they'll keep our luggage for us. And I'll ask about the shuttles and such, but the ones I see on the Heathrow sight, once you pay for all three of us, it's about as much as getting a taxi. And a taxi would be much more convenient.

Yeah? Where will you be going on your next trip?

Don't worry about the repost. You see I posted twice because I too am anal. :P

[secretsolitaire]

Hoping to get down to New Zealand for our next trip, but we'll see. :-)

[anise_anise]

Wow! I've always wanted to go, but that's wayyyy to long on a plane for me. You're so brave! I'm petrified of flying. I will be heavily sedated for our jaunt over the pond.

[secretsolitaire]

Oh, I hate flying too, and will definitely be sedating myself for that trans-Pacific flight. ;-)