Here are my retrospective travel tips:

1. Have an accessible notepad to write down recommendations for sights and restaurants you may gain from locals. (Don’t miss that delicious restaurant because you couldn’t remember the name!)

2. The Citymapper app will tell you everything you need to know about transportation around London. You will never have to ask for directions.

3. Add in some days for downtime. Your feet will thank you.

And speaking of feet…

Packing:

1. Don’t take new shoes that you haven’t broken in yet. You will be on your feet touring all day. You don’t want to be limping home. (It hurts!)

2. If you ignore rule #1, take lots of Moleskin and Band-Aids. (The Moleskin is only good before you get blisters…so pack lots of Band-Aids!)

3. London is so full of tourists that nobody will notice what you’re wearing, so skip the dressy clothes, take a couple pair of jeans and some quick-dry t-shirts and you’ll be fine.

4. We walked so much each day and the subways in London are SO hot, that I quickly sweated through all my cotton t-shirts and had no desire to re-wear any of them. Next time I think I’d take quick-dry shirts and wash them in the sink each night.

5. It rains in England, you may want that rain jacket.

6. Also, they claimed the wind was unusual, but I should have packed a wind-proof fleece jacket.

And last, but not least…

In a city where fictional characters of literature and historical beings are all celebrated equally, I suggest indulging yourself in reading as much as you can before you go. Start off easy, start with Paddington, and see where your adventure takes you from there!