1. It is never too early to book your flights and accommodation. July and August are peak holiday times in Europe and flights are invariably full at that time of the year. Book and confirm your flights as soon as possible to make sure you are not disappointed – and try to select your preferred seats in advance if that service is offered by your airline. Consider flying from Australia to other destinations in Europe and
then using rail or budget airlines to get to London if that is cheaper. When it
comes to accommodation, do as much research as possible before making a
payment. Check out the www.tripadvisor.com website for reviews and try to get
friends to take a look at your choice. There can be many untruths on websites and it is all too easy to turn up to a luxury hotel and find there is a building site next door, or the promised room refurbishments are still underway. Many London hotels plan price hikes and to introduce a minimum numbers of nights for stays during the Games. Book before these are introduced.
2. Turn off data roaming on your mobile phone and do not turn it back on again until you are safely back on Australian soil. Data roaming charges can come to thousands of dollars on just a short overseas
trip if you send a few emails and check a few times for local news. Look at the possibility of getting a British or global roaming SIM card and leave a message
bank notification for anyone calling you that they should ring your new number. Even a handful of calls and a few SMSs made in the UK can add hundreds to your bill. Companies like TravelSIM
(www.travelsim.net.au) or GoSIM.com issue you with a new SIM card that simply replaces your regular Telstra, Optus or Vodafone SIM. If your service is locked, however, you will need to contact your service provider to get it unlocked so it will accept another SIM. Do this well in advance, however. I am still waiting for Telstra to get back to me about unlocking my iPhone – and I’ve been back from London for several weeks.
3. If you are arriving at Heathrow Airport, as
most Australians do, splurge on the Heathrow Express train. If you are
tired and jet-lagged you are an easy target, so it pays to avoid traffic jams,
taxis queues or a long trek into town with commuters on the tube. The express train travels between Heathrow and central London's Paddington Station in just 15 minutes. Trains leave every quarter of an hour and you can even buy a ticket
on board. www.heathrowexpress.com.
4. Look at commuting from regional areas to London to save on hotel costs. There are many attractive regional cities with direct rail access to central London within a one or two-hour commute. Places like Peterborough and Norwich are within casual commuting distance. Attractive towns within an hour of London
on the train include St Albans, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton and
Oxford. Find a hotel or rental accommodation that’s close to a station and you
will spend as little time travelling as someone crossing from one side of London
to the other. Rail fares in Britain are
best booked as far in advance as possible, and rise dramatically for travel on
the same day as you book – but most can be booked online. Many of the trains have free, or affordable, pay as you go wi-fi so you can send some emails or
catch up on what has been happening back home on the internet.
5. Be prepared for transport delays and plan
ahead. While the London Transport system has been much improved and offers
seamless links between bus, underground and overground, there can be works going on, particularly at weekends, with lines sometimes completely closed.
There are usually alternative routes available, but it can take time – which
could mean you miss that 100 metres final you paid so much to watch. On a recent trip to London, overhead wiring issues at Wembley meant my train was over two
hours late getting to Birmingham – and even later getting back. Virgin Trains offered no refund, either, so allow plenty of time if you absolutely, positively have to be anywhere at a specific time - and suss out an alternative
route in advance.
6. Don’t be afraid of fast food. There are several fast food outlets in Britain that offer affordable and palatable meals without breaking the bank. The sandwich chain Pret a Manger has outlets all over London and while its sandwiches are wrapped in plastic they are made on site at each restaurant every day and choices like Tandoori chicken and cucumber with yogurt sauce are actually quite tasty. Fish and chips, although it can be hard to find the traditional cod, is also often a good choice, while kebab restaurants are another good option – with London having a large Turkish population.
7. Do your research as it can be hard to find
internet cafes. They are often hidden up dodgy-looking stairways or in
gloomy basements, but when you discover one they usually offer an hour of
internet access for between £1 and £2. Often, however, the printer will not
work, or the guy manning the facility will have minimal English. Britain is
using a lot of imported labour from places like Poland and Estonia – and this
will only increase during the Olympics. The good news is that you can find a
lot of free wi-fi, sometimes offered by local councils. Fast-food outlets like
Starbucks and McDonalds offer free wi-fi, so you can check your emails for the
price of a cup of coffee, or use software like Skype to phone home. Also check
out tourism offices and local libraries. Many will offer free internet access
(usually limited to an hour) to visitors.
8, Look out for lunchtime specials – and don’t
be afraid to try hotel restaurants.
Many British restaurants offer lunchtime deals, or set menus at far
below the cost of dinner, so it can pay to have your main meal in the middle of
the day. Good pubs often serve very good food to their lunchtime clientele,
while good hotels often offer bargain dining. In central London, one of the
hottest places to eat in London right now is the new The Balcon restaurant in
the Sofitel London St James Hotel (www.thebalconlondon.com). Chef Vincent
Menager combines British and French traditions with dishes like shepherd’s pie
with foie gras (which is gloriously rich). The charcuterie bar here is an ideal
spot for a snack and a glass of wine in comfortable surroundings.
9. Unless you have several suitcases or are in
a screaming rush avoid traditional London black cabs. While they are clean
and fast and the drivers are wizards at avoiding traffic black spots or hold
ups, nothing can burn a hole in your budget like a couple of trips in a cab –
particularly at night. A trip from central London to a suburb like Southfields
can cost £35 or more – and the underground doesn’t run all night. Buy a pre-paid
Oyster card which works on all buses, underground and overground trains and saves
you money on standard fares. Oyster cards be recharged at most stations and can
also be used on the very useful all-night bus services. And despite what you
might have heard, public transport in London is quicker and more efficient than you might imagine – just don’t expect a
smile in the morning from your fellow travellers.
10.
Get online and download maps, apps and
more to your phone or laptop before you leave Australia. And check out
online bargains in the lead-up to the games. Not all London hotels are
expensive – it just pays to pick the right one.
Who would have thought, for instance, that you could stay in a centrally
located new-build hotel for just £45 per night? Or that one of London’s most
gracious hotels would be offering accommodation for just £159 a night, with a
lot of extras thrown in? The two hotels in question are The Tune Hotel
Westminster (www.tunehotels.com/our-hotels/westminster-london), just a short
walk from Waterloo Station, and the venerable The Athenaeum (www.athenaeumhotel.com.)
on Piccadilly overlooking Green Park. Both offer exceptional value at different
ends of the scale, but I also paid almost £130 for a hotel room at Paddington that
I would not wish upon my dog.
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Qantas operates direct daily services from Sydney to London. To book, visit www.qantas.com or call 13 13 13.
