Make sure you don’t miss your plane or get lost in London

Before you actually leave your home, you should have a plan ready about your journey. It doesn’t have to be exact to the minute, but you should have a general idea where your trip is leading you.

Leave home on time

Your arrival plan starts at your home. Plan your trip to the airport (if you go by plane) and make sure you know exactly what the departure and arrival times for your flight are. Take traffic jams and delays into account. You have to be at the airport at least about one hour before the official check-in dead-line. At some airports, you should even be there earlier; you should check this in advance!

Find your hotel without getting lost

The last thing you need is to get lost in London with heavy bags or suitcases. Therefore, you should find out how you are going to travel from the airport (or train station, coach station…) to Central London. Check beforehand how many stops it takes until you arrive at your destination, and write down the name of your destination.

If the train, bus or tube to Central London doesn’t stop at your hotel, try to get to a tube station. Write down which tube lines you need to travel (and into which direction). Write down the number of stops and the names of the stations where you need to change.

The last bit is to find the best way to walk from the tube station to your hotel. You can easily figure this out using a map. Again, do it before you leave.

» Step 4: Plan your home journey

Last update: January 25th, 2006