London Underground Archives - Your Mileage May Vary

The Travel Emergency Codes You’re Not Supposed To Know About

Lots of businesses have their own special codes for their staff to be aware of emergencies. When I worked in a hospital, “Code Blue,” followed by whatever floor, wing, etc. meant there was someone who was experiencing cardiac or respiratory arrest. In lots of places, hearing “Code Adam” means there’s a missing child (it was named after Adam Walsh, the little boy who was abducted in a department store in Florida in the early 1980s), Some of you may have heard of a “Code Brown” and frankly, I don’t want to be the one to clean that one up. 😉

The various codes have been established so businesses can quickly and effectively communicate with their employees without their guests, customers, passengers, etc. knowing what they’re talking about.

Travel-related organizations each have their own sets of codes, too. Like these…

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Should You Stay Near The Airport Or In The City?

When having a morning flight, there’s always the question of whether it’s better to stay at a hotel near the airport or should you stay in the city. My best answer to this question is an emphatic, “It’s Complicated.”

I know, you’re thinking what a cop-out that is. You wanted me to tell you what to do. If you’ve read any of my posts, you should know I’m not going to tell anyone what to do. What I will do is give you some of the questions you need to ask to make the best decision based your situation and throw in some examples we’ve been in and what we’ve learned from the choices we’ve made.

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Taking The “Express” May Not Be The Fastest Way From The Airport To London

If you’re flying to London and need to get from the airport to your hotel, it would be no surprise if you Googled “Heathrow to London.” If you do that, this will most likely be the first hit:

While taking the express train will be the fastest way to get between the airport and the terminus station in London, if that’s not your final destination then the “express” may not be the fastest, and definitely not be the cheapest way for you to get from point A to point B.

We’ve visited London several times and have always used public transportation to get from the airport to our hotel and back. Even if that meant waking up early in the morning to catch the first Underground train of the day headed to Heathrow Airport from Kings Cross.

So it came as quite a surprise to me that while you’re bound to see marketing for either the Heathrow Express or Gatwick Express trains unless you’re conveniently located near to their final destination, there may be other cheaper, faster and more convenient options available.

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The Effortless Way To Get The Cheapest Fare For The London Underground

On our first several trips to London, we purchased a single trip or a return (round-trip) ticket every time we rode on the London Underground (or tube). This paper ticket was good for a ride to point A to point B (and back). It wasn’t until 2013 when we decided it would be worthwhile to purchase Oyster cards. While you need to pay a £5 deposit for an Oyster card, these cards can be tapped at the turnstile to enter and exit the London Underground and for travel on bus, tram, DLR, the Emirates Airline, London Overground and National Rail services in London.

Just as we were so proud of ourselves for adapting to the new technology, that tech started to become extinct. By the time our next trip came around, many passengers were no longer using Oyster cards and instead were either using contactless credit cards or a mobile wallet.

There’s a very good reason to use an Oyster card, contactless credit card or mobile payment instead of purchasing single-use tickets. You’ll save money!

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How to use Contactless Payments for the London Underground

London is one of our favorite (or favourite) cities in the world to visit. It’s charming yet bustling. Grand and imperial, but still warm and comforting. We’ve visited London more than any other city outside of the U.S, and look for any reason we can find to go back.

Our trips to London usually consist of us traveling around on the London Underground system. In 2013, we finally admitted to ourselves that we would be visiting London over and over again so we went and purchased Oyster cards. Continue reading “How to use Contactless Payments for the London Underground”