BEFORE LEAVING HOME FOR LONDON

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My friend and I were ecstatic when we both got back our passports with our UK visas. We were able to officially say then, "London, here we come!"

When the initial excitement was tamed, it was time to take care of other details and do some serious packing.

I remember a trip to Europe I took several years before and I failed to buy Euros here at home. I took for granted the advise I was given that it would be better and cheaper to buy Euros locally than buy them in Europe. I thought then that I would get by and I'd manage to buy Euros at the airport. But, I was wrong. A lot of unexpected events took place in that trip that I did not have an easy time acquiring Euros as I thought.

Having kept this experience in mind and promising myself not to commit the same mistake again, I did my homework and this time and bought GBP's (Great Britain Pound), London's currency, before we left home. I requested for the currency from two banks and two days before we left for our trip, one bank has recommended a reputable money changer from whom I was able to buy GBP's from.

And as it happened, it was a good decision made because when my friend's GBP's ran low and she had to buy some in London, she got fewer GBP's in exchange for her US dollars because of the exchange rate and the taxes she had to pay.

For our clothes, we brought coats, jackets, cardigans and thermals. Good thing that we did because spring in London was really cold! It was unlike what they said as the weather being comparable to Baguio weather in the summer when it's just cool. When we arrived in London, I literally trembled since I was without my thermals yet. 

Eco Water Bottles

 The foldable eco water bottles that my friend bought for us to bring to London were very handy and useful. We were informed that water is expensive in London. And, these water bottles were the solution to this concern. All we needed to do then was to fill these water bottles with drinking water from the friend's flat where we stayed in the duration of our trip and voila! we didn't need to buy expensive bottled water every time we went out to explore to quench our thirst.

We also packed reasonable amounts of quick cooking oatmeal, instant powdered chocolate drink, biscuits, candies and small packs of pumpkin seeds. These were not only because we were scared to go hungry but also to prevent our pockets starving for cash when we returned home from our trip : ).

If you are going to London, whether planned or unexpected, it's good to keep the following in mind on what to do and what to bring:

1. If possible, buy GBP's here in the Philippines.
2. Check the weather and bring appropriate clothes.
3. Buy and bring foldable eco water bottles.
4. Bring reasonable amounts of food to snack on for sudden pangs of hunger.