Going to London. Really scared. No clue.

[london101asap]

Hi so we are staying near London Excel.

I'm so scared of getting the tube.

I see there is a cable car we can walk (25 min)

Once off the other end though the nearest bus stop to a 48 hop on bus (London Bridge) is a 3 hour walk.

How do we get to from the cable car to the bus?

Dh is used to travelling all over the world and the uk but not around London only the outskirts.

Tween daughters want you to see the sights. Do you get off at every sight then wait for another bus?

I'm so scared as we are relying on dh who has adhd and I have severe anxiety but our 12 and 13 year olds really want to go.

Any advice please?

I second this. Put in where you want to go and it will give you every option, bus, tube, overground, taxi, walking, with times, costs and directions. Its really easy , honestly

Download the tube map, you can use the route planner. Put the station you want to start at and the station you want to get to and it will tell you which tubes you need to get. Also ask someone, people will help

OP, I am a lifelong Londoner who lives right in the centre of town. I get that it can be very overwhelming here for people not used to the amount of people and traffic etc.

Some top tips:

1. Avoid using the tube at rush hour (8am - 9.30am, 4pm - 6pm). Outside of those times it’s much more civilised. Often the platforms won’t be too busy and you should be able to get a seat. Just use your contactless cards to tap in and then tap out at the other end. You can’t forget to tap out because there are barriers that will physically prevent you from leaving the station without touching out.
2. Download citymapper and use it to help you plan your routes. Buses are very good and very frequent. You just tap in when you get on. You don’t need to tap again when you get off. The bus tells you on the screen at the front what the next stop is in plenty of time so you can press the bell to get off where you need to.
3. If you feel unsure where to go or what to do, just ask someone. Every tube station has staff available and they’re friendly. The bus driver will help if you aren’t sure where to get off. Don’t be afraid to check with someone else at the bus stop if you need to confirm a route or ask someone who’s in business dress (or who doesn’t look like a tourist) for directions if you’re stuck. Londoners are friendly and happy to help, I promise!
4. Pace yourself. London is very walkable but it’s a big place and it’s tiring if you’re trying to do too many things in one day. When you’re planning your days, check out what parks and other open spaces are nearby to where you’re going so that you have somewhere green and peaceful to sit and rest and have a snack between tourist sites.
5. Keep reminding yourself that London is a place where millions of people live very happily and very safely. I have lived here for nearly forty years and I have never felt unsafe in my life. Don’t believe everything you read in the news. London is a wonderful, exciting, friendly, historic, beautiful city that is a glorious place to visit and enjoy.

You will have a lovely time here, I promise!

OP I acknowledge your concerns. I think the DLR would be best for you to use. It is all above ground (so light, not claustrophobic) and is generally quiet in terms of the amount of passengers. The TFL website has a route planner which is brilliant. I hope you have a great time with your family.

You can plan your journey with Google maps, and specify buses. Google maps will tell you where to catch the bus. The buses are great, most have screens telling you what the stops are. It’s fairly easy to avoid the Tube - might take a bit longer but it’s quite doable. And as other people have said Uber is going to be quite a good option with a little group. I think if you plan you should be able to have a nice Tube free trip.

I wish people would be kinder to people who don’t know London.

OP I promise you the Tube is really easy to use. You can plan your journey in advance on the Tube app so that you know exactly what stations you need, what line to get on and when to change. Once on the Tube there’s a map inside the carriage on the wall showing that train’s route. If you get on the wrong one by mistake (unlikely) it’s easy to just get off and come back in the other direction.

It’s also not crowded all the time, contrary to what you may have seen. You won’t be separated from each other. Relax, and take the journey slowly. You’ll very quickly get the hang of it.

Was in wheelchair and had 5 month old in a buggy, had to get cabs everywhere. Deeply annoying and expensive.

@Abigail47 you have to remember parts of the Underground are over 100 years old. There's no way that lifts can be added to all stations.

The tube is easy, although I don’t know how far out Excel is. It’s not that Docklands one is it?

The tube is not as overwhelming as you think and very convenient but uber is also useful.

But why? I don't get it. It's a city. That's all.

If you forget to tap out you will be charged as if you completed the furthest possible journey which is not a lot. You could visit the Olymlic park at Stratford, take the DLR from Ecxel. I would strongly encourage you to try the Tube once. Your concerns are valid but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I travel with my kids all the time, we hold hands getting off & have a plan if separated is described above - person still on train gets off at next station, people who got off take the next train & you will be reunited at the next station. Enjoy your visit!

Too busy. Buses will be busy too. The tube is busy at peak hours but it's not constantly busy

Might lose my husband or kids. Well it's unlikely but could happen in any crowded place and you'll have phones.

Bomb threats (low but still) well best not ever leave home.

Might miss my stop you really can't. even if you did, get off and take it back.

I'm scared of being pushed near the track . Very unlikely and could happen at any station

I don't know how to pay. Tap with a contactless card

When I went recently with my mum, dad sister and niece, we really found Uber easier and not much in it for the lot of us.
cabbies were lovely and took us on the scenic route if our chat had gone that way. Even black cabs weren’t extortionate and you just stick your hand up. Really took the stress out. Good luck 🤞

@AinmEile

You really can’t imagine why? I’ve lived here all my life and I can easily understand why London is terrifying for people who’ve not been here before.

London is one of the biggest cities in the world. If you spend your life in a small town or village, entering the maelstrom that is London is a total assault on the sense. It’s also hard to navigate if you don’t know the city and the shape of it at all.

I have loads of family members who won’t come and visit me because they find London too much. I get it. As a comparison, I find New York a lot to cope with each time I go, despite being a frequent visitor. Every time I feel like rolling my eyes at relatives who tell me how terrifying London is, I remind myself how overwhelmed I feel when I first get off the subway in midtown New York and am surrounded by people and noise and can’t find my bearings.

I don’t think it’s that difficult to appreciate people’s fear at all. Big cities are alien to many people’s life experience and it doesn’t help that the sensationalist press is always making up crap about how London is full of knife wielding maniacs.

I hope those who have posted sneery/non-constructive responses are proud of themselves now OP has shared that she has anxiety. Fuck's sake.

I don't think the nearest bus stop to the cable car is 3 hour walk, you'll be able to get another bus and change somewhere

I hate the Tube as find it claustrophobic. In your shoes I’d embrace the Clipper that’s the commuter boat that runs up and down the Thames. They are really brilliant, my favourite form of London transport as you see the City from the river. I’ve never known them crowded.

Otherwise Ubers and walking, so many Tube stops are barely any distance but people use them despite it sometimes being a short walk.

Op means the hop on and off tourist buses. Not normal buses.

too busy- London is fairly busy wherever you go. I would recommend getting off a stop earlier than you need to the big attractions and then walking the rest of the way, it won’t be far. This way you can avoid the busier tube stations.

might loose someone- make sure everyone has phones and turn on the tracking so you can see where everyone is. If you get separated agree to meet by the exits. You will have signal there so it will be easy to find each other.

bomb threats- many of the stations were used as air raid shelters so will be much safer in the event of attacks. Most attacks happen above ground.

missing a stop- just get off at the next one and walk or change platforms and go back a stop.

pushed near a track- staff back let people wait in front of you.

pay- use your contactless debit cards to scan in and out.

if all else fails get an Uber.

I suppose. I am from a small Irish town, but think that a city is just a bigger town really. And with the Internet, it's not that hard to research and plan. But I do understand that some people do just struggle with anxiety. In the case of the OP, it seems to me to be more than standard, and rather than thinking that the issue is London, perhaps they might think about tackling their anxiety as the key issue?

I live in London and work super central and even I avoid getting the tube if possible. I'm not scared of it but there's something more pleasant about being above ground!

If I were you, and I had plenty of time/everyone in the group was physically able, I'd use the Elizabeth line to get central, and then mostly walk around. Walking around London is one of my favourite things to do, and it's a very walkable city.

Sometimes the tube genuinely is best though, it's quick and easy to navigate once you know what you're looking at (except for Edgware Road! Blows my mind every single time) so I think you can do it. It's not super busy often, even in the mornings and evening rushes I can often get a seat. Enjoy your trip!

Also some lines (Central and Jubilee I think? So could be good for where you are) now have 4g so if you get separated underground it's even easier to be reunited.

Loads of good advice already so I won't add to it, just wanted to say well done OP for pushing yourself outside your comfort zone

Do you not think that this might be making it worse? For your own kids sake, you need to get out more because if you have anxiety just about the possibility of not knowing how to pay, your mental illness will be making their world smaller.

There will be people all around you who have no clue where they're going, and who are travelling alone. People muddle through by asking questions, consulting their phones, and looking at signs. At least it will all be in your own language, or one you understand well.