An American in London part 2: UK travel tips for US tourists

During my first trip to England I spent time with Charlotte while exploring London. I visited landmarks, discovered restaurants and observed a lot of cultural differences. Here's a couple of travel tips for US visitors to London.

Get an Oyster card

If you plan on using the London Underground, London buses, the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) or overground trains that travel into London, an Oyster card is the most convenient way to get around. It's a pre-paid card with an RFID chip that you press against an Oyster card reader every time you enter or exit a station. You just put a certain amount of money on the card, which can be done with cash, or a Chip-And-Pin enabled credit/debit card, either online or at almost every station.  Without this, I would have had to deal with paper tickets. Sounds fun, right? 

Plan ahead

Plan your journeys before you travel using the Transport for London website, or the TFL journey planner mobile application. When you first get to London, especially if you've never dealt with public transport before, the Tube map is going to be a bit overwhelming. Make sure to memorize your "home" stop. There are planned closures to specific stations on select weekends while engineering work is completed across London, so check the TFL website to make sure you're not affected before buying tickets for a show or booking a restaurant.

Be observant

Pay attention to your surroundings. This is something that I am constantly doing anyway, but it's especially important in another country. London has some convenient amenities, for instance in certain parts of Tube stations there are signs that tell you which side of the walkway to walk on. This is important to keep from congesting the passages between the trains and the stations.

At most of the crosswalks (Zebra or Pelican crossings) there are letters that tell you to "Look Right" or "Look Left." This was a great help to me, as I am so used to looking left first because of the direction of traffic. In England I look crazy, looking back and forth four or five times before I cross the road. There are various signs to help pedestrians get around, and alert people to potential problems.

Bring cash, or a cash card

If you're American, bring some cash. American debit/credit cards can be used in most stores, but almost any automated machine will not accept an American card. (Oyster card machines will not, and that can present a problem if you need to get somewhere.) The cash machines in London (at least ever single one I used) use the magnetic strip in the card, as opposed to the chip, allowing you to withdraw money. Always have some cash. In the states I never carried cash, when I didn't have cash in England, I was worried and panicked that I would get stuck somewhere. (Editor's note: I would never have just left him stranded somewhere!)

Familiar foods are not so familiar - double check before ordering

When it comes to food, everything is a bit different. Don't expect that the familiar food chain that you love so much is the same as it is where you come from. I have a few examples of this. The first time Charlotte and I ordered pizza,we got a stuffed crust pizza from Domino's and it had sweetcorn on it. To most Americans, that is already enough to be confused, as Pizza Hut is the only place in the states that has stuffed crust, and sweetcorn is not a topping in the US. 

In UK Subways, sweetcorn is a topping and there are two Indian-themed subs.In the states we have choice of about five different type of cheeses to put on the sub, but in the UK you get a choice of 'with or without' cheddar. 

Also, with restaurants, check your bill to see if the service charge as been added. Some restaurants add it automatically, some places don't. 

Enjoy yourself! ^_^

Most of all, remember to have fun. Plan where you want to go, and go there. There are a lot of things to do, and no matter how long you stay, you will find stuff to do every day. I went to several museums, I explored and found little food places to eat at, I explored several really cool shopping centers, and I hadn't even begun to touch the surface of what London had to offer. Luckily for me, I was invited back, and I needed to go back.