Traveling to London is always a good idea. It doesn’t matter if this is your first or 20^th time in London, a trip to the Old Smoke is always exciting, and a few tips for the trip can always come in handy. You never know what you are missing out of your checklist.

To help you with that, we have made a list of the top things you must have in your mind before you hop on that plane to London.

Check the weather in London and pack accordingly. If you have gotten it right one time, it does not mean you always will. The weather in London is quite unpredictable, yet you should still check it before your trip. Pack your bags according to the weather, but always take at least one pair of warmer clothes. You never know.

Pack a foldable umbrella. In London, the mornings can be all sunrays and butterflies, while rain showers can chase people away from the streets a few hours late. It could also be the other way around. Make sure you always have a foldable umbrella, so you won’t get wet like a chicken, or have to carry a big umbrella around when it is not raining.

Get your travel insurance. It is mandatory to have the right travel insurance when you travel to London. You may feel that nothing is going to happen to you, but that you can never know. It is always better to be prepared. You can get a UK travel insurance, or Schengen travel insurance that covers the non-Schengen EU countries. The second may be better for you.

Book flights into smaller airports. You may be able to get cheaper tickets this way, and save yourself a lot of time and energy by avoiding long lines and crowds.

Book as much as possible in advance. If you think just showing up at tourism attractions in London is enough, you are wrong big time. There will be tens, or maybe hundreds of people trying to get a ticket to get in. If you book in advance, you may even get cheaper ones.

Emergency dial is 999. Many people think that the emergency dial in Britain is something like 911, or 112, but it is not. It is actually 999. Make sure your children know if you are on a trip with them.

Don’t buy tickets for public museums and art galleries, they are free. Almost all public museums and art galleries in London are free. Though you may find some websites that offer you “cheap London museum tickets”, you should not let them fool you. Check carefully before you decide to buy a ticket for such places in London.

Make a list of the things you want to do. This is very important to do, so you will have a concrete plan of what you will be doing in London. Take a piece of paper and write down all that you would want to see in London. Then check how much time it would take to visit each place, and how much money you would need to spend. Arrange your itinerary so that you would be visiting places that are close to each other on the same day. Give every place at least an extra 15 minutes, as you never know how much time you will be spending there. And when in London, try to keep up with this plan. You will thank us later.

By Juliane Rhea