VISITING LONDON SOON?

British

I have just been reading that there are further London Underground 24 hour strikes planned around the 25th and 27th August. If you have site seeing plans outside of Tauck plans please be aware that travel within London could be a nightmare and time allowances to get from one place to another should be carefully reconsidered. Good luck everyone! Wear comfortable walking shoes and chose sites near your hotel instead.

ndvb

Don't panic over the 24 hour strikes. They run, typically, from 18:30-18:30 the next day. Buses are still running and so are the River Buses. When I was in London in June and July there was one 24 hour strike. As British suggests, I walked where I needed to be, or took a bus. I didn't know that the river buses were free of charge or I would have used them as well. The TFL is trying to have them used more, so they used this as an opportunity to increase ridership.

The biggest factor you need to know is that none of the forms of transportation takes money directly. You will have to buy tickets or passes at the machines in order to use the buses too. If you have a transportation pass (Oyster Card) you will have to pay a small additional fee to use the River Buses and they will accept cash.

However, two things to help you. First, all the transportation forms take "touchless credit cards" for entry. Most US banks DON'T have them yet. Master Card and Discover Card have some, I believe. I use a Visa through Chase and they don't have them. However, second, if you have ApplePay on your phone or watch, you can use them to get on all the transportation modes. Both the touchless cards and ApplePay are treated like the Oyster card that is most often used for public transportation in London. You will be charged for the trips you make up to a ceiling limit after which no further charges are made.

If you have questions or issues with the machines or the form of payment you are using, the workers for the TFL are very helpful. Transportation is very easy in London and walking is even easier. Even though London is a big city, with 11 million people, the core of the city (Zones 1 and 2) are flat and easy to walk around. In addition everything is close at hand. I was there during June and July and walked 12-15 miles a day, but I covered A LOT of territory and sight seeing areas to do that.

So, don't be panicked by the threat of a Tube strike...there are a lot of options that don't involve walking. Buses are everywhere and you can look at the bus map online before you go. The TFL website also will discuss the strikes and payment forms. Sometimes their explanations can be overwhelming, but it is pretty simple...use a touchless card or your ApplePay phone/watch. You can practice using the ApplePay app by using it at stores in the US that accept them. You will find it is easy.

Oh yea, you can always use cabs, but they are expensive. If you've never ridden in one, give it a try for a short ride. They are interesting.

Enjoy London....great place..