onlyme

Hello:<BR>I'm 42 and will be traveling solo in May for 18 days as unfortunately my husband does not have enough vacation until Sept. so he will be watching my teenagers.<BR>Will start in London alone, I've been there with my family and did not do the logistics at all, just tagged along but this time I need to be in control.<BR>so anyone out there experienced traveling solo in London please share your experience also some tips/hints? From heathrow to central london via express train? will hauling your own luggage unbearable?<BR>thank you.

mike

From LHR into Zone 1? OK to carry your luggage if you can go up and down staris with it. I've always taken the tube (rather than the Padd. express) because I'm on the Glouster Rd. stop. I've travel solo to London and always felt safe, but then I'm male. Hopefully single females will chime in. Have a good time, M.

Debbie

<BR>You should be fine. I went with my Mom (which was like travelling alone - had to make all the decisions, etc) a few years ago. <BR><BR>Be sure your luggage has sturdy wheels. Pack as LIGHT as possible - then take more stuff out. when you are the only one you can rely on to carry it up the stairs, or on to the train you will appreciate it being light as can be. <BR><BR>Be sure your carryon slides over the handles of your suitcase and does not flop around while wheeling it - if it is not steady , you will be off balance trying to maneuver with your luggage. <BR><BR>Get a good map of London - one of the laminated fold up ones from Barnes &amp; Noble , etc, and spend some time getting aquainted with the tube &amp; BUS lines. We were staying near Victoria station, and ended up using the buses more than the Tube. <BR><BR>See about getting a Visitor card. They sell them for 4, 7 , 11 days. You can only get them as a foreign visitor. They are economical AND you can use the same card for the whole time. No waiting in line to buy tickets - or if you end up on the wrong line/bus, no cost but time. <BR><BR>I am sure there is more - but this should get you started.

Ira

Hi<BR> Don't worry. you will have a great time if you don't make reservations too close together.<BR><BR> Most importantly, remember to 'mind the gap'.

just

found an old thread and topped it for you

jan

Regarding Debbie's reply above - she mentions the 4,7, or 11 day Visitor Pass when talking about the tube and says it's only available to foreigners. Could someone explain the difference between that pass and the regular 7 day pass that you can buy when you are in London? I've seen both talked about here and elsewhere but can't figure out if there is any difference or if one is better than another. They seem to be about the same price. People to say to bring a passport photo for the one you buy in London, the one available on line says you don't need a photo. Can someone please explain. Thanks.

daph

I've stayed in London alone. You can really get to know it well because you have to rely on yourself in following the map-I use the Penguin map guide of London which has about 25 pages and also a fold out map-the one in Frommer's London book is good. Get an underground/bus map free at the window in most underground stations. I like to stay near Victoria station, very convenient. If you get lonely go on some of the walking tours-there are tons. Sometimes I go to a nice tea and that takes care of dinner, if you go near 5 p.m.-some serve until 6. I take only one bag and usually take the tube from Heathrow. Airbus used to go to Victoria but not anymore.

Deborah

I travel to London alone quite often. The Heathrow Express goes into Paddington Station. It's very convenient, but not cheap. If you get a British Rail Pass, it will cover the trip, but they may or may not charge you one day for the trip. To get to the train at Heathrow, I think that that you can use a trolley for your luggage until a certain point and then you have to carry it. Try to use luggage with wheels. You will thank me. Depending on where your hotel is, you can grab a cab from Paddington, or take the underground, but changing trains with lots of luggage is no fun because of the stairs and escalators. To use the underground, get a good map and get a travel card for the entire day which is good til the last train. The underground has gotten quite expensive and this is a great deal. Get one at the ticket office at the underground station. If you are planning a lot trips outside of London, buy a British Rail pass (must be purchased in U.S.). The trains are really expensive in England, so it's a good investment if you plan on travelling a lot. You can get it with different numbers of days, so you can choose what's best for you. It's not necessary if you are staying in London. Any more questions, please ask and I'll try to help.

onlyme

THANK YOU ALL!!!<BR>You've been sooo helpful. Yes, I will stuff my one big luggage as light as possible to give room for little souvenirs. I will be packing an extra folded duffle bag just in case but absolutely one lugggage when arriving.<BR>I will be alone in London just for a few days before joining a tour group.<BR>Thanks again for the valuable information.<BR>

Sue

I did a group tour of the British Isles about 15 years ago, and spent a few days in London solo at the end of the tour. Those few days made me long for more, so in the last few years I have been back 4 times for 10-day stays - alone! There is so much to do, and is an easy city to get around in. <BR><BR>I stay in Bloomsbury near the British Museum,(quite central to theatres, etc.) and the Picadilly line goes direct to Russell Square from Heathrow - very easy to do (the Russell Square tube has an elevator, so there isn't much stair walking with suitcase. Also, the Airbus 2 is a great way to get to and from Heathrow. Be sure to get the Visitor's Card for tube, as it helps not having to stand in line for tickets.<BR>And go to some shows! <BR><BR>The London Walks walking tours are fun, and something to do at night. They have a tremendously full schedule. Have a wonderful time!

karin

have been in london solo once a year for the last fifteen years. i have never had a negative exp. i always stay near russell square and like sue take the heathrow bus. never any problem. london is too much fun.. take the quirky walking tours...there is a jack the ripper tour that is great.

Bree

Everyone else has already given good advice on the luggage issue, so I'll just mention that there are recessed areas for luggage next to the doors on the subway cars. You should leave your suitcase there, because it's more convenient for you and it frees up space for other passengers (the train usually isn't very crowded when it leaves Heathrow, but it fills up as it goes through the outskirts of London).<BR><BR>Eating alone in a restaurant can be intimidating at first if you're not used to it, but I recommend that you take yourself out for a nice dinner most nights. If you don't, you'll be depriving yourself of one of the most enjoyable parts of traveling. (I'm not saying I've never eaten a room service dinner in front of the TV in my hotel room, but I try to keep the nights when I do that to a minimum.) When you eat alone in a restaurant, it's hard not to overhear the conversations at the tables near you; bring your travel journal with you, so you can jot down (unobtrusively) notes on some of the more amusing conversations you overhear, to share with your family when you get home.<BR><BR>I second daph's and Sue's London Walks suggestion. I've often fallen into conversation with other people on a walking tour (which makes a nice change from talking to yourself), and the fact that the walk ends after a couple of hours makes for a natural ending point to the conversation, without any social awkwardness about how to end it. <BR><BR>Finally, be sure to stay in a hotel that gets high ratings for personal service. When you're on your own in a strange city, it's comforting to feel like you're staying in a place where the staff is actually concerned about your well-being.

Karen

Jan-from an earlier thread-<BR><BR> <BR>Author: sarah ([email protected])<BR>Date: 01/11/2003, 11:59 am<BR>Message: A week long pass is about &pound;18.50<BR><BR>If you have time though go to <BR>(cut and paste this into your address bar)<BR>http://www.ticket-on-line.com/cgi-bin/web_frameset.exe?crypto_block=E%2D%2D%2DPSrqEnPdBc lTbDWMtLQ8%2D0%2D%2DY&amp;lang=en&amp;user_id=lu&a mp;output_template=vtc_start_page<BR> <BR>

hard to

karen, you screwed up the thread for everyone with that long URL. tut, tut!

Karen

Hey- you don't need to READ it! Just copy and paste dude! At least it WORKS! That is what counts!<BR><BR>To answer Jan's question- if you buy the foriegners pass over the internet- you do not need a picture. There are about 4 or 5 countries they do this for. You also get some coupons.

tom

karen: I think hard to's point is it is VERY (EXTREMELY) inconvenient when someone puts a long url in a post. Since there are no spaces the line does not wrap and stretches the window waaaaaaay out there and messes up the entire thread. Ergo - you can't read any of the thread without scrolling back and forth for every post. A real b**ch when it is an interseting thread you want to read. 'nuf said?

K

Tom, don't chide Karen. The URL wrapped just fine on my computer. Maybe your settings aren't set up right.<BR><BR>Anyway, &quot;onlyme&quot;, have a great trip. I actually like traveling alone because then you can just do whatever you want. You got great advice here, and I'm sure the experience will be wonderful!<BR><BR>Another Karen

golly

The long URL wrapped just fine on my screen, too .

Deborah

Karen's url worked fine for me to, but I know you can purchase a travel card for the day at the underground ticket office. I think this is a special one and it's a bit misleading that it says you can't purchase a travel card in London. You can.

Deborah

Me again. Try this link which will explain day travel cards that you can purchase in U.K. Again, they are the best deal for getting around London and you use them til the last train. <BR><BR>http://www.thetube.com/content/liveagent/