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?

If you forget it’s cappped anyway- I think the most I’ve been charged is £12 and I always forget to tap out.
use the family entrance (for buggies) then the children can go through the gate with you

You can't forget to tap out of tube/overground but might on the bus. However there is a daily and weekly cap on fares.

You can’t get out without beeping out

Get the 26 bus from Liverpool Street to Westminster, it's brilliant to see lots of sights from, especially if you can get the front seats on the top!
It goes past Threadneedle St, Bank of England, St Paul's Cathedral, Fleet St, Aldwych, the Strand (for Covent Garden), Trafalgar Square, Whitehall and Westminster Abbey.

Don't use the tube if you really don't want to. We've lived in central London for ten years and my husband never uses it. Your could maybe try it once and see how you get on. If not From the excel you can the dlr to canary wharf and get the river boat to central or West London use the buses between sights there and get the river boat back. Uber will actually be economical for some trips if there is 4 of you together. Ie I'd get an uber to tower feom excel if you want to do tower of London. The riverboat stops there as well.

Using the tube is far easier than using the bus or a taxi in London.

Too busy
If you go early it is not busy. And as it is summer holidays is is far less busy than normal.

Might lose my husband or kids
You won't lose them if you all stand together, and get on the tube as soon as it arrives.

Bomb threats (low but still)
Not been any recent bomb threads

Might miss my stop
If you miss your stop you get off at the next stop, cross the platform and go back one stop. If you are confused ask someone.

I'm scared of being pushed near the track
Stand behind the bumps on the platform which is behind the yellow line. You can actually stand further away. The platforms at Stratford are wide.

I don't know how to pay
To pay you need a contactless debit or credit card for an adult.

Why bother if you're scared of your own shadow?

Not all lines are busy all the time. Maybe try a quiet time and tube line and build confidence up first? I would avoid the cable car and walk and get tube. If not tube bus or taxi to main area you wish to see and then walk. E.g get a cab to Kensington and then Walk to bits you wish to explore.

What’s so scary about the tube? I’ve travelled all over the world and it is one of the easiest and most convenient public transport systems that I’ve ever used. Your DH having ADHD is irrelevant - he is still more than able to follow Google/Apple Maps which tell you exactly which line to take and where to. You could easily take over this if need be.

Have you not heard of buses! It's perfectly possible to navigate London by bus

You don't tap out on a bus. You tap in when you get on, that's it. Which is another reason why the OP and her family may feel more comfortable travelling on buses rather than the tube.

Go on transport for London (tfl) and you can look at all the different journey options. You'll be absolutely fine. x

I honestly think you need to try to conquer that fear for your kids if nothing else. Going through your reasons for not using the tube:
Too busy - everywhere is busy, it's London. Buses or streets won't be quieter.
Might lose my husband or kids - you could anyway, esp Oxford St, O2, etc
Bomb threats (low but still) - I think a bus was the last piece of transport to be blown up by a bomb, not the tube.
Might miss my stop - it's really easy to see where you just, and everything is labelled. The bus is easier to miss a stop.
I'm scared of being pushed near the track - just stand back, Jubilee line has doors to that it's impossible to get pushed on.
I don't know how to pay - just put a debit or credit card on the yellow dot at the dates on the way in and out. Job done.

The user boat RB1 goes from excel Wharf stop along the river to Putney, you can get on and off, change to see some sights, walk or get buses.

@london101asap

What are they seeing at the Excel, OP?

I know that there's a Friends' Exhibition there soon, which looks good.

Ooh, if you're near the Excel centre you must be near the DLR?

That runs above ground, it's great.

Using the tube is far easier than using the bus or a taxi in London.
Again, buses are a really easy way to navigate London - why is everyone on this thread so keen to force OP to do something she doesn't want to do!

I forgot to add - inside tube and train stations people are more likely to help you than at bus stops. One of the issues in taking the bus in London is finding the right bloody bus stop especially when the road is being dug up by Thames Water or Gas, and traffic is diverted.

You don’t tap out on buses anyway as the fares are the same.

@london101asap some great advice here - no need for Oyster if everyone has a contactless card.

Buses are good for seeing the sights but just get on a normal one and see St Paul’s or Tower Bridge or whatever from the top deck.

All tube stations have the name of the station in big letters on the walls as you pull in so it’s clear where you are.

You only tap when you get on the bus, not off. It's a flat fare.

Op, the tube is easy and very well signposted. It's basically impossible to get lost on it.

I agree with the pps who say - if you let your anxiety get the better of you, you stop your family from having experiences. It's not fair on your kids.

We used a hop on and off open top tourist bus and it was fantastic! We use them for loads of cities in Europe and UK. They are pricey but we buy in advance and I think we’ve used loyalty points before.

Last time we were in London we used the buses a lot - not because we are scared of the tube, but because althoguh the tube is fab for getting you around quickly, you see nothing. If you're not in a hurry, the upstairs of a bus is much better.

I do agree though that this mindset of London being a big scary place and the tube being absolutely impossibly scary is just going to ruin the trip for your kids. they should be excited about exploring the capital, not worried about all the things which won't happen.

ExCel is very, very safe. The cable car is go fun to take you over to the O2. Tube is very easy to navigate. Just keep your wits about you as you would in any city.

I get it OP, London terrified me too, and I set off for a long weekend in London, staying with a total stranger, I'd only communicated with before in writing (yeah that long ago)..

To say my anxiety was sky high is a dramatic understatement..

The tube is easy.

If you get off at the wrong stop it is super easy to sort that out, and get another tube back to the right one.

These days the payments are easy, pay as you go via contactless with your mobile, buy a visitor oyster card or a day travel card.

It is FAR easier than the bus, which could result in you getting off somewhere a million miles from where you want to be and its far less obvious where to get the bus back to where you want to be.

If you do intend to buy a ticket at a station, avoid rush hour/peak travel times as that can be a bit hectic!

Getting lost and bomb-scares - the chances are low, and the difference bus vs tube makes is really negligible.