Hi I'm a K-Expat embracing London life and here to share my journey with you 🇬🇧
When I first moved to London, I didn't know anyone and really lacked a strong support network. There were a lot of challenges and learnings that were hard to figure out on my own.
I created this channel to help others navigate everyday London life (from taxes to the Tube). I hope you feel like you have an 언니 or 'Big Sister' in London
Here's to making London feel a little more like home. You're not alone! 💌
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March 2024: 63 April 2024: 98 May 2024: 166 June 2024: 183 July 2024: 188 August 2024: 201
I travelled on the " Lizzy line" this month , because I had to get to Liverpool street railway station from LHR T 4 in a timely manor , and didn't mind paying " a bit extra" for the privilege . YES ,the line IS deep , and YES I SHOULD HAVE used the lifts to get to the " surface "( of Liverpool Street ) instead of using the escalators which was kinda dangerous ( I had a large suitcase with me ) once the train arrived , but the journey itself WAS pleasant compared to using the Piccadilly line ( all those stops ) , and changing tube lines at Holborn or Kings Cross
@@Annientalu Hello! Yes there is an elevator to take you up to the ground floor. It isn’t as big and there aren’t as many as Heathrow to take you up to departures so might be a little wait. I would factor in that time when getting to the airport
I’m so glad it’s helpful! Yes especially with this heat we’ve been having, nice thing to have as an option! Hope you’ve been enjoying a lovely summer! ☀️
Hello. When you said you reached the airport 1 hour before departure, did you have any check-in baggage and always via premium security? I will have luggage and no premium security, do you think 2 hours is enough? I've seen long queues at check-in counters from another youtube video, but that was last year. Not sure about now...Thanks! 😊
I would double check the news the day before in case any situation occurs (e.g. IT outage). Summer can be quite busy - it is UK public holiday on August 26th & school break until Sept 2nd so usually means more people travelling Typically, security does not take long to clear and you have the option to purchase premium security/fast track. I would say checking-in baggage will take the longest amount of time, including finding your airline provider. If you are flying long-haul, also more likely other passengers will be checking-in bags which means longer queue times If you are new to Gatwick & travelling in August, I’d give yourself more time so you don’t feel too rushed! Last year I think the lines were long because of staff shortage. If you’re travelling in off-season, I think 2 hours should be fine
Thanks for the video! Do you have recommendation for using the train while traveling with children ages 8 and 12? Can I use the contactless option or would they require that we stand in long line to obtain their own Oyster card?
Hey John! So children under 11 ride free (4 children per 1 adult). How I see parents doing this, is you just put your child in front of you and both go out of the ticket gate together when you tap your contactless card for yourself. For children over 12 as a visitor, you need to get a TFL staff member to manually add the 50% discount onto a Visitor Oyster card. Unfortunately, TFL staff do not do this service at the Heathrow Elizabeth Line station. More on this here: tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/11-15-zip-oyster-photocard?intcmp=55575#on-this-page-5 In this case, I'd recommend just using a different contactless credit/debit card to pay for your 12 year old and then a separate payment card for yourself. The payment card doesn't need to be in your child's name. Just has to be a unique card that hasn't been used to pay for a journey yet. Hope this helps and safe travels!
Hello. Thanks for your help. I will need to get from the Southampton Cruise Port to the Stansted Airport. My flight will be at 15:00. What do you suggest?
Hi Helene! It sounds like the train from Southhampton to London goes into Waterloo Train Station. You can either buy your train ticket at the train station or using Trainline app on your phone. www.thetrainline.com/en-us From Waterloo Station, I would get the National Express bus (A7 route) from the Waterloo Station stop (York Road, Stop 17 - London Eye). It is a 1 hr 30 min journey. Timetable here: timetables.nationalexpress.com/routes/NX/A7/London-Stansted_Airport/O
Ha unfortunately I have been here embarrassingly much much longer without realising this error! 😅🥲 My British friends must have been too polite/embarrassed on my behalf to correct me so thank you for this! I always learn on RU-vid
Yes there’s always escalators to get in/out of the Elizabeth line level - it was built quite deep so steep escalators at some stations. I’ve had no trouble with my carryon suitcase! But when you transfer to other tube lines, there might not be escalators although majority of lines do have them. For example, I take the escalators up out of the Elizabeth line level but have to take stairs down to another line. In a scenario where a line doesn’t have an escalator, you will usually find elevator access as an alternative to stairs. Hope this helps
We have used both the Elizabeth Line and the Heathrow Express to get to and from Paddington to Heathrow. With the Heathrow Express - it can be a competitive price if you book well in advance through something like Trainline - especially if you have a Railcard discount. We get the "Two Together" railcard which gives 30% off most journeys. Last time in London - we used the Elizabeth Line to get from Heathrow as we had Oyster Cards, and we picked up our Two Together railcard at Paddington Station so we had that discount for our return journey 5 weeks later on the Heathrow Express. The cost was about the same. We stay near Paddington, but if we were going further into London the Elizabeth line may be more convenient.
That’s a good shout re the Railcards esp with the discount. And I’m sure it was a nicer experience will less people in the carriage. Will try it out next time thanks!
Sorry to hear you had this experience and yeah I’ve definitely been there 🫠🥲 sometimes can be waiting 10+ min to get one going to Heathrow let alone the terminal you’re wanting. Using a travel planning app like Citymapper should tell you when the next one to Heathrow is to help with estimations, although I’ve had times where I show up and there’s a delay which leads to me panicking 😅 The good news is that the Elizabeth line runs at stations with other lines that usually are running and you can orchestrate a workaround to get to the Piccadilly Line or to Paddington station for the Heathrow Express instead
Thank you for this. I will be in London in a couple months. Some points for viewers: - The Elizabeth Line one-way fare (about £12. as of 05.2024) is approx 50% less than Heathrow Express (£25.) Oddly, Elizabeth Line fares to and from Paddington differ by a couple pounds. - Using a contactless card (e.g., credit card) increases the potential of losing it (imagine arriving in London and losing your credit card...ARGH!!!). Purchase an Oyster Card (£5 from machine) and top it up with, say, £40 (top up again as needed). At the end of your London stay you can cash your card in at a machine...though you might want to hold onto it for future visits. (Conceal your credit card when out and about, and also carry separately the info it contains and who to contact should it go amiss.) - The Elizabeth Line time to Paddington is approx. 45 minutes. Heathrow Express is approx. 15. Once at Paddington there is an Underground Station that connects to the same system the Elizabeth Line does. So the two benefits of the Express are that it cuts 30 minutes of travel time, it is quieter (no announcements, not stops, no overcrowded carriages...). After a long journey it is often worth the extra £12. - The Elizabeth Line is nicknamed the 'purple train', so just look for purple. (Anyone new to London should know that each Underground Line has a specific colour, as best seen on the Tube maps.) Cheers!
"and instead leverage the contactless payment system" Sounds so simple and efficient and makes this sound like a useful video right? Wrong. For anyone with kids, your kids are not going to have a credit card. So unless they are younger than 11 and traveling with you (in which case they travel free), you have no choice but to stand in line and buy an Oyster card for them and then have the Young Visitor Discount applied to that card. Only then can you make your way through the turnstiles. If I had a nickel for every time someone touts this trope about using contactless with total disregard for the fact that several people wanting to take the Elizabeth Line may have children......
Good to know I wasn’t alone 😂😂 ah I love Wales I’ve only been in the countryside not the cities so will have to stop by Newport next time! ☺️ thank you for watching! ❤️
@londonunnie Lol. Hey ,you're not alone ! I bet many went / go through w that !! LOLLOLLOL I was like " Why am I getting ignored / sabotaged by every driver !!?" I checked how I dressed ,etc. LOL 😅 I even went into a restaurant right by the bus stop asking the workers there !! And later some passer I asked to ,told me I needed to wave ,raise my arm/ hand !! Lol. I was doing that from that time on & then one day ,I was inside of a bus stop thing ( not sure what to call it ?) ,a bus stopped & the door opened for me & the driver asked if I needed a ride ! I was shocked ! 😲 LOL He was such a nice guy !! I was looking at my phone ,I didn't know my bus was approaching. You should visit cities in Wales like Cardiff ,Newport & Swansea ,too ! Definitely ! I'll watch the video if you'll make one ! Lol. But,you're right, countryside of Wales are stunning ,wild beauties !! 😍 They've got a lot more to offer to visiters/ tourists if you're a nature lover ,or photographer, or love outdoor activities !! Wales is truly A GEM 💎 ✨️Thank you so much for your reply & the video ! I love riding on busses in London & Wales & Devon ,England !! I loved those rides & other passengers !! I had great conversations w 'em & many of 'em helped me a lot w information. Wonderful memories !! Bus rides in Monmouth, Wales were crazy !! They drove ( except for 1 driver ) super duper fast !!! LOL It felt like as if I was on a roller-coaster !!! 😅💜🥁🐉🎤🎶✈️🇬🇧🏴🏴💞
It's because multiple buses often use the same stop so drivers just ignore a stop if everyone is standing back or sitting back from the kerb, they assume people are waiting for a different bus.
Okay you can say it was being 21 but maaaad respect for dragging your suitcases up stairs! I don't love a struggle but I do love a public transportation success story hehe
The Elizabeth Line can get very chaotic especially at weekends and with engineering works,it’s worth checking the website for TFL (they run the travel) to see if any closures are taking place. Hopefully it will make things a bit easier to understand. I would suggest downloading the tube map as that will help you get around and show you the best carriage to use for a speed departure at the station.
Yes this is a very helpful callout - thank you! The Citymapper App has closure, delays, and best carriage information which can be quite useful. For a comprehensive map with status updates, I find TFL best for this: tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/
Yes it's the same Oyster card on both the bus and tube. If it is easier, you can also use a regular credit/bank card if it has contactless tapping functionality. If you have a smartphone with a digital wallet, this also works as well
When you first tap on a bus, it is £1.75 for the full duration of your journey on that bus. You are charged by journey, not by duration or zones. If you change buses, you won't be charged as long as you made the change within 1 hour of when you first tapped. If you change buses after an hour, you are charged another £1.75. For pay as you go, there is a daily cap of £5.25 (you have to use the same card for all journeys) or you can get a 1 day bus/tram pass for £6. More info here: tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/bus-and-tram-fares#on-this-page-0
@@walkalongwithanna Ah yes London can be so unpredictable. This weekend we had gorgeous summer sunshine and then hail the other day with a cold snap. I hope you had a safe and smooth trip!
@londonunnie We had an incredible and smooth trip ...Thank you for your suggestions and tips .Was in London ,Gloucestershire Edinburgh and Glasgow...Each place was amazing and we had a great time
Yes,had sunny day, rainy day ,cloudy day,windy day and everything together in one day as well .... we understood clearly it is unpredictable and just be prepared, thats all 👍👍
Ha yes good call out 😅 I should have clarified I meant door-to-door* (specifically going west to east relative to my reference point, which is much smoother now with the Elizabeth Line. I used to struggle so much before that 😂). I would definitely recommend the Piccadilly Line for those that are starting from Central or closer to a connecting line!
Citymapper app realy helped us sort our journey through out our London Trip ...it was very helpful. We used tube mostly and it was very smooth with citymapper...
