Packing for London

One of the biggest challenges you’re going to face before we get to London will be packing. How much should you take? What sort of clothes? What’s the weather going to be like anyway? If you’ve never traveled away from home for three weeks, then you’re probably wondering how in the world you’ll get all those clothes, shoes, facial creams, and hair products in one or even two bags. Here’s the secret: YOU DON’T!

A few helpful tips about packing for London:

One medium-to-large-sized bag with wheels. That’s it. If it doesn’t fit, it stays at home. Period. And trust me, the wheels are a life-saver when you’re trying to get through customs and a large airport like Heathrow or Gatwick! Stick a duffle bag in to use to haul back the clothes or gifts you buy over-seas if you must. What goes in this one bag? Easy: pack for one week and wash on the weekend! No one in London will be impressed by your sense of fashion, or what they’ll see as a lack thereof. This is your checked luggage. Don’t put anything in it that you’ll need on the plane, e.g., medications, contact solution, etc.

• 6-7 shirts (+ one dress if you’re so inclined)
• 2-3 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of pants & a belt
• 1 – 2 pairs of shorts (one rarely wears shorts in London, but it can get hot)
• 1 pair of non-tennis shoes & some flip-flops (assuming you wear tennis shoes on the plane)
• 7 days worth of underwear and socks
• pajamas and a set of lounge wear (you will have a roommate, so don’t make him/her uncomfortable by choosing to parade around nude in the flats)
• bath essentials in plastic bags (you can buy soap and such in London); put everything liquid in a plastic bag b/c it may burst during flight and you’d hate to get to London and have all your clothes coated in shampoo!

One backpack with your important items: passport, laptop, digital camera/camera phone, US-to-England adapter for the electrical outlet, your daybook, your other course materials, and your laptop/tablet, if you’re bringing one. There is wireless in the flats, as well as at location throughout London. (Click here for more about phones/tablets, and click here for information about converters/adapters.)

One small hand-held bag with a change of underwear, a shirt, a pair of jeans/pants, a light jacket/rain coat, and your teddy bear. That’s it. It will be hot in NC, but much cooler when we land and you may want quick access to your jacket. Don’t put anything liquid in there or anywhere on your person, and avoid the hassle. This bag is also great for the return trip b/c you can put all the extras inside that you pick up abroad. Because we’re going to be there in July, it will be relatively warm, but you’ll still need clothes for cool weather. England is along the same latitude as Maine and parts of Canada, so even in summer, it can be cool there. One year, in mid-June, we had a day that was 50 degrees and some students froze because they didn’t pack well.

If you MUST have mouthwash or contact solution on the flight over, then make sure it’s 3 oz. or less and all liquids fit in a small quart-sized Ziploc bag. You’ll have to take this out at the airport to go through the check-in and they are strict! Also, it can’t be just “3 ozs are left” – the container itself has to be labeled 3 oz or less or the TSA folks will take it from you. I’ve tried to go through with half-used tubes of toothpaste and it’s a no-go.

When dressing for London, remember the following:

• It will be much cooler in London than in NC, even in July, and it will be less humid. People have started to wear shorts, but don’t over-pack them. They’re nice for an occasional trip to the park, but jeans or pants are better all-weather gear. The thing is this: if you go out and it’s warm, and you put on shorts, most days, you won’t return to the flats until after dark – this is city life, after all – and the temperature changes significantly throughout the day. I wear short-sleeved shirts every day and put my Columbia fleece on top; I’ve never been cold and when it’s warm, I can easily take off the fleece.
• Rain is frequent, though not like NC. You’re best with a light rain coat, maybe one with a hood; umbrellas are a waste of time as the wind will quickly turn them inside out. The rain mostly “spits” at you, as Rick Taylor says, and it’s over fairly quickly. Worst case scenario, you run into a shop or one of the museums for a bit while the rain goes away.
• TENNIS SHOES! You will destroy your feet quickly in flip-flops, either from stress or from the many germs and gross sticky things that are part of city streets and subways. Two years ago, I had a student who, to borrow from Jimmy Buffet, “busted a flip-flop” on the way to see Wicked and had to walk around London and the Tube barefoot … we almost had to amputate her disgusting foot back at the flats because we weren’t sure it could be cleaned! ☺

These are good rules of thumb. I’ll share more about packing as we get closer, and if you have questions, just ask.