Beginning of Week 5: Travel and Safety Secrets

The safety tip I valued most abroad was to keep my possessions on hand when on the tube. At the hours of 8 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. the tube is extremely packed and I had a lot of friends in London who were pickpocketed while on the train in London during my stay. Luckily I kept my wallet in hand and my purse in sight so I never had that issue. My biggest recommendation is to stay away from wearing backpacks on public transport and when you do, wear the bag on your front rather than your back. Also keep your phone and wallet in hand rather than in your pocket or purse. This is a big city and while I was lucky enough to keep all my possessions, just be cautious. Also, when out at night, it is always better to have a travel buddy for those long walks home. I was always thankful for having a flatmate to walk back with from an adventure when it hit 10 o’clock at night. London is a relatively safe city, however there are precautions I advise taking just to make your stay a bit safer and to give yourself piece of mind.

My best local traveller secret is to exchange all of your on-hand cash in the United States before you travel. I did this with most of my cash, however when I reached the United Kingdom and wanted to exchange the rest of my dollars to pounds, I quickly learned that the exchange rate was much higher and inflated here. Another local traveller secret is to buy any other weekend trips to other parts of Europe while in London as early as you possibly can. Flights to Paris, Brussels, and Dublin from London are highly inexpensive early on, but ticket prices soar if you purchase too close to departure.